IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


1.25 


laHi    12.5 

itt  122   i2.2 

2*  |]4   ■■■ 


us 

111 


uo 


yuu 

IJ4  lliif& 


Photographic 

Sdmces 

Corporation 


■1:.'^ 


^\ 


I. 


23  WIST  MAIN  STMIT 

WIUTIR.N.Y.  MStCI 

(716)  •71-4:03 


\ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  IMicroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  tachniques  at  bibliographiquaa 


The  instituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagas  in  tha 
reproduction,  or  which  may  aignif  icantly  change 
the  uauai  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Coloured  covera/ 
Couvarture  de  couleur 


I     I    Covera  damaged/ 


D 


Couverture  endommagte 

Covera  reatorad  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  reataurte  et/ou  peliiculte 


I     I   Cover  title  miaaing/ 


La  titra  da  couverture  manque 


I     I   Coloured  mapa/ 


Cartea  giographiquaa  an  couleur 


□   Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  blacic)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  qua  bleue  ou  noire) 

I     I   Coloured  platea  and/or  illuatrationa/ 


Planchaa  et/ou  illuatrationa  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autrea  documanta 

Tight  binding  may  cauae  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  llure  aerrte  peut  cauaar  da  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
diatortion  la  long  de  la  marge  IntArieure 

Blanit  iaavea  added  during  reatoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  poaaibie.  theae 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
11  aa  peut  que  certainaa  pagea  blanchea  ajoutiea 
lore  d'una  reatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  texte, 
mala,  loraqua  cela  Atait  poaaibie,  cea  pagea  n'ont 
pea  AtA  fllmAea. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairea  auppl^mantairaa: 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm^  la  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  At6  poaaibie  de  ae  procurer.  Lea  ditaiia 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  aont  paut-Atre  uniquea  du 
point  da  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dana  la  m^thoda  normale  de  fllmaga 
aont  indiquAa  ci-daaaoua. 

□   Coloured  pagea/ 
Pagea  de  couleur 

□   Pagea  damaged/ 
Pagea  andommagtea 

pn   Pagea  reatorad  and/or  laminated/ 


D 


Pagea  reataurtea  et/ou  pelllcultea 

Pagea  diacoiourad,  atainad  or  foxa« 
Pagea  dicolor^aa,  tachatAea  ou  piqutea 

Pagea  detached/ 
Pagea  ditachtea 

Showthroughy 
Tranaparance 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualiti  InAgala  de  I'impreaaion 

Includea  aupplamentary  materli 
Comprend  du  material  auppMmantaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mitlon  diaponible 


r~7|  Pagea  diacoiourad,  atainad  or  foxed/ 

I     I  Pagea  detached/ 

rri  Showthrough/ 

rn  Quality  of  print  variea/ 

I     I  Includea  aupplamentary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


Pagea  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  errata 
alipa,  tiaauaa,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
enaure  the  beat  poaaibie  image/ 
Lea  pagea  totalement  ou  partiallement 
obacurciaa  par  un  faulllet  d'errata,  una  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  At*  filmAea  A  nouveau  de  fapon  h 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  poaaibie. 


ThIa  Item  la  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  eat  film*  au  taux  da  reduction  IndlquA  ci-daaaoua. 


10X 


14X 


18X 


22X 


26X 


30X 


^ni 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Rtails 
du 
todifier 
r  una 
Imago 


88 


Tha  copy  filmod  hora  haa  baan  raproducod  thanka 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

University  of  Windsor 


Tha  Imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
posaibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagiblllty 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  copiaa  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  fllmad 
baglnning  with  tha  front  eovar  and  anding  on 
tha  Ia8t  paga  with  a  printad  or  iiiuatratad  Impraa- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  approprlata.  All 
othar  original  copiaa  ara  fllmad  baglnning  on  tha 
f  irat  paga  with  a  printad  or  iiiuatratad  Impraa- 
aion,  and  anding  on  tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad 
or  iiiuatratad  imprasaton. 


Tha  iaat  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  aymbol  — ^>  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  aymbol  ▼  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  appllas. 


L'axamplaira  filmA  fut  raprodult  grAca  A  la 
giniroaitA  da: 

University  of  Windsor 


Laa  imagas  suivantaa  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plu8  grand  aoin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattatA  da  l'axamplaira  film*,  at  an 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fllmaga. 

Laa  axamplairas  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  en 
paplar  aat  imprimAa  aont  filmte  wn  commangant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  Bn  tarminant  soit  par  ia 
darniira  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainte 
d'Imprasslon  ou  d'illuatration,  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  aalon  lo  caa.  Toua  las  autras  axampiairaa 
originaux  sont  filmte  an  commandant  par  ia 
pramlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'illuatration  at  9n  tarminant  par 
la  darniira  paga  qui  comporta  una  taila 
amprainta. 

Un  daa  aymbolaa  sulvants  apparaftra  sur  ia 
darnlAra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha,  salon  ia 
caa:  la  aymboia  — »-  aignifia  "A  SUIVRE".  la 
aymbolo  ▼  aignifia  "FIN". 


iVIapa,  plataa,  charta,  ate,  may  ba  fllmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratioa.  Thoaa  too  larga  to  bo 
antlraly  included  In  ona  axpoaura  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framea  aa 
required.  The  following  diagrama  iiluatrata  the 
method: 


Lea  cartea,  planchaa,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmAa  A  daa  taux  da  rMuctlon  diff Arants. 
Loraque  la  document  eat  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  aaul  cllchA,  11  eat  filmA  A  partir 
da  I'angle  aupAriaur  gauche,  do  gauche  A  droite, 
et  do  haut  en  baa,  en  prenant  la  nombre 
d'imagea  nAcassaire.  Las  diagrammea  sulvants 
llluatrant  la  mAthode. 


errata 
ito 


a  pelura, 
ion  A 


n 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

i 


f,-f 


^ 

^ 


i 


^,  '/:>.-- 


lU 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES, 

ASD 

DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST  : 

»■  BEING 

AN  T3XHIBITI0N  OF  TH".  EVIDENCE 


^ 


Lit) 


0V> 


■V 

\ 


THAT  AM  AKCIEIVT  POPc^ATION  OF  PARTIALLY  CIVILIZED  NATIONS, 
DIFFERING    ENTIRELY    FROM     THOSE    OF     THE    PRESENT    IN- 
r:ANS,  PEOPLED  AMERICA,  MANY  CENTURIES  BEFORB> 
ITS    DISCOVERV    BY   COLUMBUS. 

\^'  ASD      ~ 

ZITQUXRXBS  INTO  THEIR  OllXOXir, 

WJTU   A 

» 

COPIOUS  DESCRIPTION 

Of  inauy  of  their  stapcndvuti  Works*  now  In  rulni* 

;■  ,•     -^  WITH  ■  ' 

I 

CONJKCXrRES    C  NCERNING    WHAT   MAF   HAVE  .    "^ 

BECOME   OF    THHM. 


,;.    ;  ••         COMPILED 

» '%0M    TRAVELS,     AUTHENTIC    SOURC 


..■,7:^ 


S,    AND   THE    HESEARCHBI 


»4 


ilntfiiuairfati  Socittfefii. 


BY  JOSIAH  PRIEST 


> ,. 


>'^. 


\  • 


\ 


ALRAJVV: 

PRINTED    BY    PACKARD,    HOFFMAN    AND    WHITB, 

No.  71,  State-Street. 

"   «  ♦ 

'"  -        1888. 


■M: 


•  ».i--;4 


:n 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congriss,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1838,  by 
JofiAH  Pbiest,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Northern 
Slitrict  of  New-Yorlt. 


•"'.V-"^f 


iU 


^ir< 


PREFACE. 


4 


TiiE  volume  now  laid  before  the  public,  is  submitted  under  the  fiill  uad 
|jlea8ing  hope  tliat  it  will  not  be  unacceptable,  although  the  subject  of  the  An- 
tiquities of  America  is  every  where  surrounded  with  its  mysteries  ;  on  which 
account,  we  have  been  compelled  to  wander  widely  in  the  field  of  conjecture, 
from  which  it  is  not  impossible  but  we  may  have  gathered  and  presented  some 
original  and  novel  opinions. 

AVe  have  felt  that  we  are  bo\md  by  the  nature  of  the  subject,  to  treat  wholly 
on  those  mattei-s  which  relate  to  af;es  preceding  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Columbus;  as  we  apprehend  that  no  subject  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
continent  since,  can  be  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  Antiquities  of  America. 

If  we  may  be  permitted  to  judge  from  the  liberal  subscription  this  work  has 
met  wilh,  notwithstanding  the  universal  prejudice  against  subscribing  for  books, 
we  should  draw  the  conclusion,  tliat  this  curious  subject,  h'a.^  not  its  only  admi- 
rers within  the  pales  of  Arttiquarian  Societies,  which  are  composed  of  the 
wealthiest  and  most  talented  men  of  the  age. 

If  it  is  pleasing  as  well  as  useful  to  know  the  history  of  one's  country,  if  to 
feel  a  rising  interest  as  its  beginnings  are  unfolded;  its  sufferings,  its  wars,  its 
struggles,  and  its  victories,  delineated;  why  not  also,  when  the  stoiy  of  its  an* 
liquities,  though  of  a  graver  and  more  majestic  nature,  are  attempted  to  be  re- 
hearsed. 

The.traits  of  the  antiquities^f  the  old  world  are  every  where  shown  by  the 
fragments  of  dilapidated  cities,  pyramids  of  stone,  and  walls  of  wondrous  length; 
but  here  are  the  wrecks  of  empire,  whose  beginnings  it  would  seem,  are  older 
than  any  of  these,  which  arc  the  mounds  and  works  of  the  west,  towering  aloft 
as  if  their  builders  Vrcrn  preparing  against  another  flood.  -'** 

We  have  undertaken  to  elicit  arguments,  from  what  we  suppose  evidence, 
that  tne  first  inhabitants  who  peopled  America,  came  on  by  land,  at  certain 
places,  where  it  is  supposed  once  to  have  been  united  with  Asia,  Europe,  and 
Africa,  but  has  been  torn  asunder  by  the  force  of  earthquakes,  and  the  imip" 
tions  of  the  waters,  so  tliat  what  animals  had  not  passed  over  before  this  great 
physical  rupture,  were  forever  excluded;  but  not  so  with  men,  as  they  cou!4 
resort  to  Ihe  use  of  boats.  .C, 


I 


249235 


IV 


il 


% 


i 


Wa  have  gathereil  sUcli  evidence  nn  i)iduccs  a  belief  that  America  was  an* 
cilently,  inhabited  witli  partially  civilized  and  agricultural  nations,  surpassing 
in  numben,  its  present  )inpulution.  This,  we  imagine,  we  prove,  in  the 
discovery  of  thousands  of  the  tiraitfl  of  the  ancient  opcrationB  of  men  over 
the  entire  cultivated  parts  of  the  continent,  in  the  forms  and  under  the  character 
of  mounds  and  fortifications,  abounding  particularly  in  the  western  regions. 

We  have  also  ventured  conjectures  respecting  what  nations,  in  some  few  in- 
stances, may  have  settled  here ;  also  what  may  have  become  of  them.  We  have 
entered  on  an  examination  of  some  of  those  works,  and  of  aomc  of  the  articles 
found  on  opening  some  few  of  their  tumuli;  which  we  have  compared  with  simi- 
lar articles  found  in  similar  works  in  various  parts  of  the  other  continents,  fromi 
which  very  curious  results  arc  ascertained. 

As  it  respects  some  of  the  ancient  nations  who  may  have  found  their  way 
hither,  we  perceive  a  strong  probability,  that  not  only  Asiatic  nations,  very  soon 
at'ter  the  flood,  but  that  also,  all  along  the  different  eras  of  time,  different  races 
of  men,  as  Polynesians,  Malays,  Australasians,  Phoenicians,  Egyptians,  Greeks, 
Romans,  Israelites,  Tartars,  Scandinavians,  Danes,  Norwegians,  Welch,  and 
Scotch,  have  colonized  different  parts  of  the  continent. 

We  have  also  attempted  to  show  that  America  v  as  peopled  before  the  flood; 
that  it  was  the  country  of  Noali,  and  Uie  place  where  the  Ark  was  erected. 
The  highly  interesting  subject  of  American  Antiquities,  we  are  inclined  to  be- 
lieve, is  but  just  commencing  to  be  developed.  The  immensity  of  country  yet 
beyond  the  settlements  of  men,  toward  the  Pacific,  is  yet  to  be  explored  by  cul- 
tivation, when  otlier  evidences,  and  wider  spread,  will  come  to  view,  affording, 
perhaps,  more  definite  conclusions. 

As  aids  in  maturing  this  volume,  we  have  consulted  the  works  of  philosophers, 
historians,  travellers,  geographers,  and  gazcttei-s  witli  miscellaneous  notices  on 
this  subject,  as  found  in  the  periodicals  of  the  day.  The  subject  has  proved  as 
difficult  as  mysterious;  any  disorder  and  inaccuracies,  therefore,  in  point  of  in- 
ferences which  wc  have  made,  we  beg  may  not  become  the  subjects  of  the  se 
verities  of  criticism. 

If,  however,  we  should  succeed  in  awakening  a  desire  to  a  furtlier  investiga- 
tion of  this  curious  subject,  and  should  have  the  singular  happiness  of  securing 
any  degree  of  public  respect,  and  of  giving  the  subscriber  an  equivalent  for  his 
patronage,  the  utmost  of  the  desires  of  the  author  will  be  realized. 

JOSIAH  PRIEST. 


■%% 


CONTENTS 


'estiga- 
icuring 
for  hit 


Page. 

Location  of  Mount  Ararat,  from  whence  the  earth  was  peo- 
pled a  second  time, 9 

^Signification  of  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Noah  •  •  •  • 10 

Supposed  origin  of  human  complexions, 11,  289,  293 

Division  of  the  earth  among  the  sons  of  Noah,  by  his  will ;  and 
its  physical  diyision  afterwards,  by  convulsions, 18 

Supposed  identity  and  real  name  of  Melchisidek  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, with  the  location  of  the  garden  of  Eden, 20 

Countries  inhabited  by  the  immediate  descendants  of  the  sons 
Noah,  with  the  nations  proceeding  from  them, 30 

Antiquities  of  the  west,  consisting  of  mounds,  tumuli,  and  for- 
tifications,       35 

Works  supposed  to  have  been  erected  by  the  ancient  Romans 
in  Ohio, 38 

Conjectures  bow  the  Romans  may  have  found  America,  and 
at  what  era, ' 42 

Discovery  of  a  subterranean  cavity  of  mason  work,  supposed 
to  have  been  erected  by  one  of  the  admirals  of  Alexaniler  in 
America,  300  years  before  the  Christian  era,«  • .....       ...     44 

Discovery  of  subterranean  fire  places  on  the  shores  of  the  C  'aio, 
^i'ith  conjectures  about  their  origin, 49 

Discovery  of  a  curious  cup  of  earthen  ware,  on  opening  a 
mound  at  Cincinnati, * 50 

Dr.  Adam  Clark's  observations  on  the  mounds  in  Russia,  ivith 
traits  of  a  Hindoo  population  in  America, 53 

Great  number  of  aboriginal  mounds,  many  of  which  are  filled     '  - 
with  human  bones, 5S 

Course  of  the  Ten  lost  Tribes  of  ancient  Israel,  from  Syria  to  the 
supposed  land  of  Asareth, 57 

Conjectures  respecting  an  ancient  union  of  Europe  and  Ameri- 
ca, on  the  northwest,  with  historical  notices  of  remarkable 
convulsions  of  tho  earth, Gl 


-f 


iA'i 


m 


■ 


r 


Tli  CONTKNT9 

Pagi, 

Supposed  traitR  of  the  lost  Ten  Tribes,  found  in  f.apland,  the 
northern  part  of  Europe, 64 

Traits  of  the  ancient  Israelites  found  iu  Pitts6eld,  Mass. 68 

Recent  discovery  of  a  vast  body  of  the  ancient  Israelites  in  the 
central  parts  of  Asia,  supposed  to  be  a  part  of  the  lost  Ten 
Tribes, 70 

A  further  account  of  the  convulsions  of  the  globe,  with  the  re- 
moval of  islands,  and  of  the  island  Atalantis,  by  Plato,.  •  •  •  •     76 

Ancient  works  near  Brounville,  Pennsylvania,  a  sculptured 
stone,  &c. 80 

Comparison  of  the  mounds  of  the  west,  with  discoveries  of  the 
kind  in  Europe ;  an  account  of  the  Celtic  druids,  and  of 
the  sacred  Misletce,  &c. 85 

Discoveries  of  ancient  works  on  the  Muskingum,  with  many 
curious  articles, 85 

Traits  of  furnaces,  and  foundations  of  ancient  buildings,-  •  •  •  •     95 

Great  works  of  the  ancient  nations,  at  Zanesville,  Ohio, 99 

Discovery  of  considerable  quantities  of  mctalic  pyrites,  hidden 
by  the  ancient  nations,  with  conjectures  concerning  their  use,  100 

Discoveries  of  specimens  of  ancient  potteiy,  with  several  curi- 
riously  circumstanced  human  skeletons,  at  Tawanda,  Pa.  •  •   107 

Supposed  origin  of  the  prairies  of  the  west,  ..••. Ill 

Discovery  of  a  catacomb  of  mummies  in  ICentucky,  supposed 
to  be  the  traits  of  an  Egyptian  colony,  wilh  conjectures  how 
they  may  have  found  this  country, Ill 

A  further  account  of  western  antiquities,  \vith  antediluvian 
traits, 118 

Conjectures  how  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  were  broken 
up,  at  the  time  of  the  deluge,  with  reasons  for  supposing  the 
Ark  was  built  in  America, 121 

The  skeleton  of  a  whale  discovered  in  Virginia,  with  other 
marine  traits,  sixty  miles  from  the  ocean, 137 

Discovery  of  an  ivory  image,  representing  the  entire  figure  of 
a  young  mother,  and  an  in'ant  in  her  arms,  with  other  cu- 
rious articles, 129 

Supposed  line  of  kings  in  the  west,  from  the  discovery  of  two 
skeletons  under  peculiar  circumstances, 132 

Discovery  of  two  remarkably  sculptured  stones,  executed  by 
the  ancient  nations  of  America, 133 


»' 


i 


CONTENTf 


VII 
Pag« 


64 
68 


70 
76 
80 

85 

85 
95 
99 


107 
111 


111 
118 

121 
137 

129 
132 
133 


135 


136 

143 
150 
163 
157 
160 
162 


Discoveries  about  the  Mediterranean  and  central  parts  of  Afri- 
ca, which  are  imitated  in  America, 

The  robber  cave  on  the  Ohio,  used  as  such  in  the  time  of  tlie 
revolution,  with  sculptured   M'orks  of  the  ancient  nations, 

found  in  this  cave, 

Copious  account  of  the  bones  and  size  of  the  mammoth  found 

in  the  west, 

Tracks  of  men  and  animals,  found  impressed  in  solid  stone,  •• 

Cotubamana,  the  giant  chief, 

Further  accounts  of  discoveries  in  the  west, 

Great  works  of  the  ancients  on  the  Muskingum  river, 

Ruins  of  ancient  works  at  Circleville,  Ohio, 

Ancient  works  on  Paint  Creek, 166 

A  recent  discovery  of  one  of  those  ancient  works,  among  the 

AUeghanies, • 169 

Of  tlie  western  tumuli  and  mounds,  and  articles  found  in  thorn,  170 
Great  works  of  the  ancients,  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek,  187 

Traits  of  ancient  cities  on  the  Mississippi, 190 

Traditions  of  the  Alexican  natives  respecting  their  migrations 

from  the  north, 193 

Supposed  uses  of  the  ancient  roads  connected  with  tha  mounds,  197 
Mount  Joliet,  the  largest  artificial  work  of  the  kind  in  the  U.  S.  201 
Distance  from  Mount  Ararat,  where  the  Ark  rested,  to  the 

United  States,  by  the  way  of  Bhering's  Strait, 203 

Mexican  traditions  respecting  Noah's  flood, 206 

Tradition  of  the  white  and  bearded  men,  among  the  Tahec 

Indians  of  IMexico,  v/ho  were  law  givers, 207 

Of  Zoroaster  and  Confucius,  authors  of  fire  worship, 209 

Description  of  the  ceremonies  of  fire  worship,  as  practised  by 

certain  tribes  on  tlie  Arkansas, 212 

Origin  of  fire  worship, 216 

Further  account  of  western  antiquities,  217 

Discovery  of  America  by  the  northern  people  of  Europe,  as       '' 
the  Scandinavians,  Welch,  &c.,  traTts  of  them  found  here,  229 

A  further  account  of  European  settlements  in  America, 254 

A  further  account  of  western  antiquities, 257 

Description  of  implements  found  in  the  tupiuli  of  the  west,'  •  •  261 
Conjectures  as  to  what  may  have  become  of  the  ancient  nations,  266 

Great  size  of  some  of  the  mounds  found  in  Mexico, 263 

Predilection  of  the  ancients  to  pyramid  building, 270 


ViU  «  ONTKNTS. 

Page. 

tti  further  account  of  western  disoovcrios, 27r> 

Opiuious  of  various  antiquarians  respecting  original  inhabitants,  27*J 

Further  remarks  on  the  subject  of  human  complexions, 289 

On  the  human  complexions,  with  other  interesting  subjects*  •  293 

Cannibals  in  America, - 209 

Tradition  of  ancient  settlements  on  the  river  Tizan  or  Colum- 
bia, which  is  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains, 302 

Supposed  wars  of  the  Scandinavians  with  the  ancient  ludians, 
in  Onondaga,  some  hundred  years  before  Columbus'  birth,  30G 

Esquioieaux  Indians  derived  from  Europeans 312 

Draining,  or  the  disappearance  of  many  of  the  ancient  lakes,  321 
Further  remarks  on  the  draining  of  the  ancient  lakes,  &c.  • .  •  •  337 
Health  of  the  ancient  nations  affected  by  the  draining,  &c.  •  •  •  342 

Lake  Ontario  formed  by  a  volcano, 345 

Resemblance  of  the  western  Indians  to  the  ancient  Greeks,  350 

Origin  of  funeral  fires  among  the  Indians, 357 

The  Indian  Hunter,  or  Chippewa  Chief, 362 

The  two  Ghosts,  or  Hospitality  rewarded, 364 

The  Indian  Prophet's  Prediction, 372 

Stratagem  of  Pontiac  to  massacre  the  garrison  at  Detroit, 376 

Remarkable  society  among  the  Naudawassec  Indians, 380 

The  Esqnimeaux  Wizard,><v 384 

Traits  of  ancient  Romans  in  America,*  •  •  • 391 

Gold  Regions  in  the  Southern  States, 396 


•1 


*  '    •   • 


>--.l^- 


» ;C  : .. 


■  V.  .\\-  ism*! 


.    m 


Page 
..   '27!) 
Its,  27U 
...  289 
»..   293 
.  .  .  299 

ura- 
. ..  302 

ians, 

•irth,  306 
....  3ia 
akes,  321 

;.....  337 

c....  342 

345 

reeks,  350 

357 

...  362   • 

•  •  •  •  •  • 

364 

372 

...  380 
...  384 
...  391  ^ 
....  396 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


AND 


DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


A  lofty  summit,  on  a  range  of  mountains  called  Ararat,  in  Asia, 
furnished  the  resting  place  of  the  Ark,  which  contained  the  pro- 
genitors of  both  man  and  animals,  who  have  replenished  the  Globe 
sJnce  the  era  of  the  Deluge. 

Ararat,  is  a  chain  of  mountains,  running  partly  round  the  South- 
em  end  of  the  Caspian,  and  is  situated  between  the  Caspian,  and 
the  Black  Seas ;  in  latitude  north,  of  about  38,  agreeing  with  the 
middle  of  the  United  States,  and  is  from  London  a  distance  of  about 
two  thousand  four  hundred  miles,  in  a  south-easterly  course,  and 
from  the  City  of  Albany,  in  the  United  States,  is  nearly  six  thou-  i 
sand,  in  an  exact  easterly  direction,  and  the  same  latitude,  except 
a  variation  of  but  three  degrees  south. 

We  have  been  thus  particular  to  d€8:ribe  the  exact  situation  as 

generally  allowed  of  that  range  of  mountains;  because  from  this 

place,  which  is  nearly  on  the  western  end  of  tlie  Asiatic  continent, 

Noah   and  his  posterity  descended,    and  spread  themselves  ovet 

many  parts  of  the  earth,  and  as  we  suppose,  even  to  America,  t8*^ 

newing  the  race  of  man,  who  well  nigh  had  become  extinct  (torn 
the  devastation  and  ruin  of  the  universal  flood.  \ 

The  sons  of  Noah  were  tkree^  as  stated  in  the  book  of  Genesis; 

between  whose  descendants  the  whole  earth  in  process  of  time, ' 


— jir'"""  'T' 


.y 


10 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


i\. 


I 


»::. 


!|i 


I 


I 


•#* 


became  divided.  This  division  appears  to  have  taken  place,  in 
the  earliest  ages  of  the  jirst  nations  after  the  flood,  in  such  manner 
as  to  suit,  or  correspond  with  the  several  constitutions  of  those 
nations,  in  a  physical  sense,  as  well  as  with  a  reference  to  the  va- 
rious complexions  of  the  descendants  of  these  three,  heads  of  the 
human  race. 

This  preparation  of  the  nations,  respecting  animal  constitution 

and  colour,  at  the  fountain  head,  must  have  been  directed  by  the 
hand  of  the  Creator ;  in  an  arbitrary  manner,  by  Avliich  not  only  his 

Sovereignty,  as  the  govenor  of  our  earth  with  all  its  tribes  is  mani- 
fest, but  also  His  wisdom. ;  because  the  same  constitution  and  com- 
plexion, which  is  suited  to  the  temperate  and  frigid  zones  of  the 
globe,  could  not  endure  the  burning  climates  of  tlie  torrid;  so  nei- 
ther are  the  constitutions  of  the  equatorial  nations,  so  tempered  as 
to  enjoy  the  snowy  and  ice  bound  regions  in  the  high  latitudes 
north  and  south  of  the  equator. 

The  very  names,  or  words  ,  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth,  were  in 
the  language  of  Noah,  which  was  probably  the  pure  Hebrew ;  in 
some  sense  significant  of  their  future  national  character,  and  pros- 
perity. We  proceed  to  show  in  what  sense  their  names  were  de- 
scriptive, prospectively  of  their  several  destinies  in  the  earth,  as  well 
also  as  that  Ham,  was  the  very  name  of  his  colour,  or  complexion. 

The  word  SJiem,  says  Dr.Clark,  signifies  renown,  in  the  language 
of  Noah ;  which,  as  that  great  man  now  no  more,  remarks,  has 
been  wonderfully  fulfilled,  both  in  a  temporal  and  spiritual  sense. 
In  a  temporal  sense,  first,  as  follows.  His  posterity  spread  them- 
selves over  the  finest  regions  of  upper  and  middle  Asia,  Armenia, 
Mesopotamia,  Assyria,  Media,  Persia,  and  the  Indus,  Ganges,  and 
possibly  to  China,  still  more  eastward.  **-'At: 

The  word  Japheth,  which  was  the  name  of  Noah's  third  son,  has 
also  its  meaning,  and  signifies,  according  to  the  same  author,  that 
which  may  be  exceedingly  enlarged,  and  was  capable  of  spreading 
to  a  vast  extent.  -m  Vw?^.,r-.-:-  ■■*■  ^  c^i  -  :.    '  , . 


r. 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST- 


If 


ace,  in 
manner 
>f  those 
the  va- 
s  of  the 

istitution 
i  hy  the 
t  only  his 
s  is  mani- 
and  com- 
ics of  the 
d;  sonei- 
jmpered  as 
h  latitudes 

|h,  were  in 
lebrew,  in 
L  audpros- 
[S  were  de- 
irth,asweU 
jomplsxion. 
le  language 
[marks,  has 
itual  sense. 
»read  them- 
,,  Armenia, 
ranges,  and 

livd  son,  has 

(author,  that 

jf  spreading 


His  posterity  diverged  eastward,  and  westward,  from  Ararat^ 
throughout  the  whole  extent  of  Asia,  north  of  the  great  range  of 
the  Taurus,  and  Ararat  mountains,  as  far  as  to  the  Eastern  Ocean ; 
whence,  as  he  supposes,  they  crossed  over  into  America,  at  the 
Straits  of  Bhering,  and  in  the  opposite  direction  from  those  mountains, 
throughout  Europe,  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea  south  from  Ararat ; 
and  to  the,  Atlantic  Ocean  west,  from  the  same  region ;  whence 
also,  they  might  have  passed  over  to  America,  by  the  way  of  Ice- 
land, Greenland,  and  so  on  to  the  continent,  along  the  coast  of  Lab- 
rador, where  traces  of  early  settlements  remain,  in  parts  now  desert. 
Thus  did  Japheth  enlarge  himself,  till  his  posterity  literally  encompas- 
passed  the  earth,  from  latitude  35  north,  and  upward,  toward  the 
pole. 

The  word  Ham,  signified  that  which  was  burnt,  or  black.  The 
posterity  of  this  son  of  Noah,  peopled  the  hot  regions  of  the  earth, 
on  either  side  the  equator. 

But  as  it  respects  the  complexions  of  these  heads  of  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  we  remark  as  follows :  Shem  was  undoubtedly  a  red 
or  copper  coloured  man,  which  was  the  complexion  of  all  the  Ante- 
deluvians. 

This  conclusion  is  drawn  from  the  fact,  that  tlie  nations  inhabit- 
ing the  countries  named  as  being  settled  or  peopled  by  the  descend- 
ants of  Shem,  have  alv/ays  been,  and  now  are,  of  that  cast.  We 
deem  this  fact  as  conclusive,  that  such  was  also  their  progenitor, 
Shem,  as  that  the  great  and  distinguishing  features  and  complexion 
of  nations  change  not,  so  as  to  disappear.  Shem  was  the  father  of 
the  Jewish  race,  who  are  of  the  same  hue,  varying  it  is  true,  some 
being  of  a  darker,  and  some  of  a  lighter  shade,  arising  from  secret 
and  undefinable  principles,  placed  beyond  the  research  of  man,  and 
also  from  amalgamations  by  marriages  with  white,  and  with  the  dark- 
er nations,  as  the  African.  But  to  corroborate  our  opinion,  that  the 
Antedeluvians  were  of  a  red,  or  copper  complexion,  we  bring  the  well 
known  statement  of  Josephus,  that  Adam  the  fira{  of  men  was  a 


W  iS 


-«&; 


•"-yrrp 


» 


AMBniCAN    ANTIQUITIES 


•r 


red  man,  made  of  red  earth,  called  virgin  earth  because  of  its  beau- 
t^  and  pureness.  The  very  word  Adaniy  he  also  says,  signifies  that 
colour  which  is  red.  To  this  account,  the  tradition  of  the  Jews  cor- 
lespohds,  who,  as  they  are  the  people  most  concerned,  should  be 
allowed  to  know  most  about  it. 

Shem,  therefore,  must  have  been  a  red  man,  derived  from  the 
eomplexi3n  of  the  first  of  men,  Adam.  And  his  posterity,  as  above 
described,  are  accordingly  of  the  same  complexion;  this  is  well 
known  of  all  the  Jews,  unmixed  with  those  nations  that  are  fairer,  as 
attested  by  history,  and  the  traveller  of  every  age,  in  the  coun> 
tries  they  inhabit. 

The  word  jfifam,  which  was  the  name  of  the  second  son  of  Noah, 
IB  the  word  which  was  dascriptive  of  the  colour  which  is  blacky  or 
burnt.  This  we  show,  from  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Hales,  of  Eng- 
land, who  was  a  celebrated  natural  philosopher  and  a  mathematician, 
of  the  17th  century,  who  is  quoted  by  Adam  Clark,  to  show  that 
the  word  Ham,  in  the  language  of  Noah,  which  was  that  of  the 
Antedeluvians,  was  the  tenn  for  that  which  was  black. 

It  is  not  possible,  from  authority  so  high  and  respectable,  that 
doubts  can  exist  respecting  the  legitimacy  of  this  word,  and  of  its 
ancient  application,  as  we  have  argued.  Accordingly,  as  best  suit- 
ed to  the  complexion  of  the  descendants  of  Hairiy  the  hot  regions  of 
the  equator  were  allotted  to  thoae  nations. 

To  the  Cushites,  the  southern  climes  of  Asia,  along  the  coast  of 
Uie  Persian  Gulf,  Susiane,  or  Cushistan,  Arabia,  Canaan,  Palestine, 
Syria,  Egypt  and  Lybia,  in  Africa.  These  countries  were  settled 
by  the  posterity  of  Ham,  who  were,  and  now  are,  of  a  glossy 
black. 

But  the  vast  variety  of  shades  and  hues  of  the  human  face  are  de- 
rived from  amalgamations  of  the  three  original  complexions,  red, 
black,  and  white.  This  was  the  act  of  God,  giving  to  the  three 
fersons,  upon  whom  the  earth's  popiflation  depended,  by  way  of 
perpetuity,  such  complexions,  and  animal  constitutions,  as  should 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST. 


18 


bew- 

vscor- 
luld  be 

rom  the 
s  above 
is  well 
fairer,  as 
le  coun- 

of  Noab, 
blacky  or 
,  of  Eng- 
ematician, 
show  that 
hat  of  the 

table,  that 
and  of  it» 
best  suit- 
regions  of 

ae  coast  of 
I,  Palestine, 
lere  settled 
hi  a  glossy 

jface  are  de- 
Uions,  red, 
lothe  three 
I,  by  way  of 
Is,  as  should 


be  best  suited  to  the  several  climes,  which  he  intended,  in  the  pro» 
gress  of  his  providence,  they  should  inhabit- 

The  people  of  these  countries,  inhabited  respectively  by  these 
heads  of  the  nations,  Shem,  Hani,  and  Japheth,  still  retain,  in  full 
force,  the  ancient,  pristine  rf'd,  while,  and  black  complexions,  ex- 
cept where  each  have  intruded  upon  the  other,  and  became  scat- 
tered, and  mingled,  in  some  degree,  over  the  earth.  Accordingly, 
among  the  African  nations,  in  their  own  proper  countries,  now  and 
then  a  colony  of  whites  have  fixed  their  dwellings.  Among  the 
red  nations,  are  found  here  and  there,  as  on  some  of  the  islands  of 
the  Pacific,  the  pure  African,  and  both  the  black  and  the  red,  are 
found  among  the  white  nations,  but  now  much  more  than  in  the  ear- 
liest ages,  a  general  amalgamation,  of  tlie  three  original  colours,  exists. 

Much  has  been  written  to  establish  the  doctrine  of  the  influence 
of  climate  aadfood,  in  producing  the  vast  extremes,  between  a  fair 
and  ruddy  white,  and  a  jet  black.  But  this  mode  of  reasoning  to 
establish  the  origin  of  the  human  complexion,  we  imagine,  very  in- 
conclusive and  unsatisfactory  ;  as,  it  is  found,  that  no  distance  of 
space,  lapse  of  ages,  change  of  diet,  or  of  countries,  can  possibly 
"remove  the  Leopard's  spots,  or  change  the  Ethiopian's  skin." 
No  lapse  of  ag'js  has  been  known  to  change  a  white  man  or  his  pos- 
terity to  the  exact  hue  or  shape  of  an  African,  although  the  hottest 
rays  of  the  burning  climes  of  Africa  may  have  scorched  hi"*"  ages 
unnumbered,  and  its  soil  have  fed  him  with  its  roots  and  ben'  ^n 
equal  length  of  time.  It  is  granted,  however,  that  a  white  man 
with  his  posterity  will  tan  very  dark,  by  the  heat  of  the  sun ;  but 
it  never  can  alter,  as  it  never  has,  materially  altered,  the  shape  of 
his  face,  from  that  which  was  characteristic  of  his  nation,  or  people ; 
nor  the  form  of  his  limbs,  nor  curled  his  hair,  turning  it  to  a  tcoo/, 
provided  always,  the  blood  be  kept  pure  and  unmixed,  by  marriages 
with  the  African. 

.Power  in  the  decomposition  of  food,  by  the  human  stomach,  doea 
not  exist  of  sufficient  force  to  overturn  the  deep  foundation  of  cautu 


14  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

established  in  the  very  germ  of  being,  by  Ihe  ('roator.  The  cir- 
cumstance of  what  a  man  may  eat,  or  wliere  he  may  chance  to 
breatlie,  cannot  derange  the  economy  of  first  principles.  Were  it 
so,  it  were  not  a  hard  matter,  for  the  poor  African,  if  he  did  but 
know  this  choice  trait  of  philosophy,  to  take  hope  and  shake  off  en- 
tirely, his  unfortunate  skin,  in  process  of  time,  and  no  longer  be 
exposed,  solely  on  that  account,  to  slavery,  chains,  and  wretch- 
edness. 

But  the  inveteracy  of  complexion  against  the  operation  of  climate, 
is  evinced  by  the  following  as  related  by  Morse.  On  the  eastern 
coast  of  Africa,  in  latitude  five  north,  are  found  jet  black,  tawny, 
olive,  and  white  inhabitants,  all  speaking  the  same  language,  which 
is  the  Arabic.  This  particular  part  of  Africa  is  called  the  Maga- 
doxo  kingdom  :  the  inhabitants  are  a  stout,  warlike  nation,  of  the 
Mahometan  religion.  Here  it  appears,  is  permanent  evidence,  that 
climate  or  food  have  no  effect  in  materially  changing  the  hues  of 
complexion,  each  retaining  their  own  original  tincture  ;  even  the 
tchite  is  found  as  stubborn  in  this  torrid  sky,  as  the  black  in  the 
northern  countries. 

The  whites  found  there,  are  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Ro- 
mans, Carthagenians,  Vandals,  and  Goths  ;  who  were,  it  is  asserted 
by  John  Leo,  the  African  who  wrote  a  description  of  Africa  in  Ara- 
bic, all  anciently  comprehended  under  the  general  name  of  Mavri 
or  Moors,  as  well  as  the  black  Moors  themselves.  (Morse's  Uni. 
Geo.  vol.  ii.  pp.  754,  781.) 

Shem,  according  to  the  commonly  received  opinion,  was  the  eld- 
est son  of  Noah ;  and  as  the  complexion  of  this  child  did  not  differ 
from  that  of  other  children  bom  before  the  flood,  all  of  whom  are 
supposed  to  have  been  red,  or  of  the  copper  hue,  on  the  ground  of 
Adam's  complexion;  Noah  did  not  therefore,  name  the  child  at 
first  sight,  from  any  extraordinary  impulse,  arising  from  any  singu- 
lar appearance  in  the  complexion,  but  rather,  as  it  was  his  first  bom 
son,  he  called  him  SheMf  that  is,  renown,   which  name  agrees,  in  a 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


16 


surprising  mauuer,  with  what  we  have  hereafter  to  relate,  respect- 
ing this  character. 

The  impulse  in  the  mind  of  Noah  whicli  moved  him  to  call  this 
first  son  of  his,  Shemj  or  renown,  may  have  been  similar  to  that  of 
the  patriarch,  Jacob,  respecting  his  first  born  son.  He  says,  Reu- 
btn,  thou  art  my  first  born,  my  might,  and  the  beginning  of  ray 
strength,  the  excellency  of  dignity  and  the  excellency  of  power. 
The  ideas  are  similar,  both  leading  to  the  same  consequence  ;  in 
one  case,  it  is  renown,  in  the  other,  the  excellency  of  power,  which 
is  equivalent  to  renown,  all  of  which,  in  both  cases,  arises  from  the 
mere  circumstance  of  those  children  being  the  first  bom. 

It  is  not  unusual  for  parents  to  feel  this  sensation,  on  the  birth  of 
9. first  child,  especially  if  it  be  a  son;  however  it  is  not  impossible 
but  the  prophetic  spirit  moved  Noah  so  to  name  this  son  by  the  ex- 
traordinary appellation,  rcnovm,  or  Sfiem ;  and  the  chief  trait  of  ce- 
lebrity which  was  to  attach  itself  to  the  character  of  Shem  was  to 
arise  out  of  the  fact  of  his  being  the  type  of  the  Messiah ;  and  the 
time  was  to  come  when  this  person,  after  the  flood  should  have  passed 
away,  would  be  the  only  antedeluvian  survivor  ;  on  which  account, 
all  mankind,  must,  of  necessity,  by  natural  and  mutual  consent,  look 
up  to  this  man  with  extraordinary  veneration.  - '. 

By  examining  the  chronological  account  of  the  Jewish  records, 
we  find  the  man  Shem  lived  five  hundred  years  after  the  flood,  and 
that  he  over  lived  Abraham  about  forty  years.  So  that  he  was  not 
only  the  oldest  man  on  the  earth  at  that  time,  but  also,  the  only 
surviving  antedeluvian,  as  well  as  the  great  typical  progenitor  of 
the  adorable  Messiah. 

.  Here  was  a  foundation  for  renown^  of  sufficient  solidity  to  justify 
the  prophetic  spirit  in  moving  Noah  to  call  him  Sheniy  a  name  full 
of  import,  full  of  meaning,  pointing  its  signification  in  a  blaze  of 
light,  to  Him  whose  birth  and  works  of  righteousnes,  were  to  be  of 
consequences  the  h'ujficst  in  degree,  to  the  whole  race  of  Adam,  in 
the  atoucmeut. 


't- 


;.!  • 


.  ' 


16 


▲MEniCAN    \NTiqUITIE9 


I 
I 


fiut  at  the  birth  of  Ham,  it  was  different ;  when  this  child  was 
bom,  we  may  suppose  the  house  or  tent  to  have  been  in  an  uproar, 
on  the  account  of  his  strange  complexion ;  the  news  of  which,  we 
may  suppose,  soon  reached  the  ear  of  the  father,  who  on  beholding 
it,  at  once,  in  tin  form  of  exclamation,  cried  out,  Ham  !  that  is,  it  is 
blackj  and  this  word  became  his  name. 

It  is  believed,  that  in  the  first  ages  of  the  world,  things  were 
named  from  their  supposed  qualities ;  and  their  supposed  qualities, 
arose  from  first  appearances.  In  this  way,  it  is  imagined,  Adam 
named  all  the  animals  at  first  sight ;  as  the  Lord  God  caused  them 
to  pass  before  him,  a  sudden  impulse  arising  in  his  mind,  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  each  creature  ;  so  that  a  suitable  name  was  given. 

This  was  natural ;  but  not  more  so  than  it  was  for  Noah  to  call 
his  second  son.  Ham,  because  he  was  black  \  being  struck  by  this 
uncommon,  unheard  of,  complexion  of  his  own  child,  which  impel- 
led him  at  once,  to  name  him  as  he  looked. 

We  suppose  the  same  influence  governed  at  the  birth  of  Japheth  ; 
and,  that  at  the  birth  of  this  child,  greater  surprise  still,  must  have 
pervaded  the  household  of  Noah,  as  that  white,  was  a  cast  of  com- 
plexion, still  more  wonderful  than  either  red  or  black,  as  these  two 
last  named  complexions  bare  a  stronger  affinity  to  each  other,  than 
to  that  of  white. 

No  sooner,  therefore,  as  we  may  suppose,  was  the  news  of  the 
birth  of  this  third  son  carried  to  Noah,  than  he,  anxious  to  embrace 
it,  saw  with  amazement,  that  it  was  diverse  from  the  other  two ; 
and  from  all  mankind ;  having  not  the  least  affinity  of  complexion 
with  any  of  the  human  race  ;  and  being  in  an  extacy,  at  the  sight 
of  so  fair  and  ruddy  an  infant,  beautifully  white  and  transparent  of 
oomplexion,  cried  out,  while  under  the  influence  of  his  joy  and  sur- 
prise, Japheth  !  which  word  became  his  name ;  to  this,  however, 
he  added  afterwards,  God  shall  greatly  enlarge  Japheth,  and  he  shall 
dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem,  and  Canaan,  that  is  Ham,  shall  be  his 
servant ;  so  that,  in  a  political  sense  he  was  higher  than  the  other  two. 


^ 


» 


AND    DISCOVEUIES    IN    TIIK  WEST. 


17 


i  wat 
proar, 
h,  wc 
olding 
is,Uw 

T3  were 
uaUtie»» 
1,  Adam 
sed  them 
mtheap- 
iven- 
,aVi  to  call 
ck  by  this 
ich  impel- 

jAPHETHi 

must  have 
ast  of  com- 
theae  two 
other,  than 

news  of  the 
to  embrace 
,e  other  two ; 
E  complexion 
r,  at  the  sight 
transparent  of 
.sjoyandsur- 
;U,  however, 
,  and  he  shall 
,Bhallbebis 
the  other  two. 


m 


But  if  our  opiuioii  on  this  subject  is  esteemed  not  well  support- 
ed, we  would  add  one  other  circumstance,  wliich  would  seem  to 
amount  to  demonstration,  in  proving  Ham  and  his  posterity  to  have 
been  black  at  the  outset. 

The  circumstance  is  as  follows :  At  two  particular  times,  it  ap- 
pears from  Genesis,  that  Noah  declared  Ham  with  his  posterity 
should  serve  or  become  servants  to  botli  the  posterity  of  Shem  and 

Japheth.  If  one  were  to  inquire  whether  this  has  been  fulfilled 
or  not,  what  would  be  the  universal  answer  ?  It  would  be — it  has 
been  fulfilled.  But  in  what  way  ^  Who  are  the  people  }  The  uni- 
versal answer  is.  The  African  race  are  the  people.  But  how  is  this 
proved,  unless  we  allow  them  to  be  the  descendants  of  Ham  ? 

If  then  they  are  his  descendants,  they  have  been  such  in  every 
age,  from  the  very  beginning ;  and  the  same  criterion,  which  is  their 
colour,  has  distinguished  them.  This  i)roves  their  progenitor.  Ham, 
to  have  been  black  ;  or  otherwise  it  had  been  impossible  to  distin- 
guish them  from  the  posterity  of  the  other  two,  Shem  and  Japheth, 
and  whether  the  denunciation  of  Noah  has  been  fulfilled  or  not, 
would  be  unknown.  But  as  it  is  known,  the  subject  is  clear  ; — 
the  distinguishing  trait  by  which  Ham's  posterity  were  known  at 
firstj  must  of  necessity  have  been,  as  it  is  now,  black. 

We  have  dwelt  thus  far  upon  the  subject  of  human  complexions, 
because  there  are  those  who  imagine  the  variety  now  found  among 
men,  to  have  originated  purely  from  climate,  food,  and  manner  of 
living ;  while  others  suppose  a  plunilUij  of  fathers,  to  have  been  the 
cause,  in  contradiction  of  the  account  in  Genesis,  where  one  man  is 
siiid  to  have  been  the  father  of  all  mankind.  But  on  this  curious 
subject,  respecting  the  variety  of  complexions,  see,  toward  the  close 
of  this  volume,  the  Remarks  of  Piofessoi  Mitchell,  late  of  New- 
York. 

-  -  •"'  / .  •  : 


.  .J^M-^  •^iiTt^.^^t . 


18 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


RESPECTING  A  DIVISION   OF  THE  EARTH  BY  NOAH  AMONG 

HIS  SONS. 


It  cannot  be  denied  but  the  whole  earth,  at  the  time  the  aik 
rested  on  mount  Ararat,  belonged  to  Noah,  he  being  the  prince, 
patriarch,  or  head  and  ruler  of  his  own  family  ;  consequently  of  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  as  there  were  none  but  his  own  house. 
This  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  any  other  man  since  the  world  be- 
gan, except  of  the  man  Adam.  Accordingly,  in  the  true  character 
of  a  Patriarchal  Prince,  as  related  by  Eusefnusj  an  ecclesiastical 
writer  of  the  fourth  century,  and  by  others,  that  Noah,  being  com- 
manded of  God,  proceeded  to  make  his  willy  dividing  the  whole 
earth  between  his  three  sons,  and  their  respective  heirs  or  descend- 
ants. 

To  Shem,  he  gave  all  the  east ;  to  Ham,  all  Africa;  To  Japheth, 
the  continent  of  Europe^  with  its  isles,  and  the  northern  parts  of 
Asia,  as  before  pointed  out.  And  may  we  not  add  America,  which, 
in  the  course  of  the  Divine  Providence,  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
the  posterity  of  Japheth,  and  is  not  impossible  but  this  quarter  of 
the  earth  may  have  been  known  even  to  Noah,  as  we  are  led  to 
suspect  from  the  statement  of  Eusebius. 

This  idea,  or  information,  is  brought  forward  by  Adam  Clark, 
from  whose  commentary  on  the  Scriptures,  we  have  derived  it. — 
That  a  knowledge  of  not  only  Africa,  Asia,  and  Europe,  was  in  the 
possession  of  Noah,  but  even  the  islands  of  Europe,  is  probable,  or 
how  could  he  have  given  them  to  the  posterity  of  his  son  Japheth^ 
as  written  by  Eusebius. 

It  may  be  questioned,  possibly,  whether  these  countries,  at  so 
early  a  period,  had  yet  been  explored,  so  as  to  furnish  Noah  with 
any  degree  of  knowledge  respecting  them.  To  this  it  may  be  re- 
plied, that  he  lived  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  flood,  and 


i 
■'I 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE  WEST- 


19 


1 


more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  after  the  building  of  the  tower  of 
Babel  and  the  dispersion  of  the  first  inhabitants,  by  means  of  the 
confusion  of  the  ancient  language. 

This  was  a  lapse  of  time  quite  sufficient  to  have  enabled  explor- 
ers to  have  traversed  them,  or  even  the  whole  earth,  if  companies 
had  been  sent  out  in  different  directions,  for  that  express  purpose, 

and  to  return  again  with  their  accounts  to  Noah.  If  the  supposition 
of  Adam  Clark,  and  others,  be  correct ;  which  is,  that  at  that  time, 
the  whole  kaad  of  the  globe  was  so  situated  as  that  no  continent  was 
quite  separate  from  the  others  by  water,  as  they  are  now ;  so  that 
men  could  traverse  by  land  the  whole  globe  at  their  will  :  If  so, 
even  America  may  have  been  known  to  the  first  nations,  as  well  as 
other  parts  of  the  earth. 

This  doctrine  of  the  union  of  continents,  is  favoured,  or  rather 
founded  on  a  passage  in  the  book  of  Genesis,  10th  chap.  20th  verse, 
where  it  is  state4  that  one  of  the  sons  of  Eber  was  Peleg,  so  nam- 
ed, because  in  his  days,  the  earth  was  divided  ;  the  word  Pe^<jr, 
probably  signifying  division,  in  the  Noetic  language. 

The  birth  of  Peleg  was  about  an  hundred  years  after  the  flood, 
the  very  time  when  Babel  was  being  builded.  But  we  do  not  im- 
agine this  great  convulsionary  division  of  the  several  quarters  of  the 
globe,  took  place  till  perhaps  an  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of 
Peleg,  on  account  of  the  peculiar  latitude  of  the  expression, "  in  the 
days  of  Peleg."  Or,  it  may  have  been  even  two  hundred  years  af- 
ter the  birth  of  Peleg,  as  this  person's  whole  life  was  but  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-nine  years,  so  that  Noah  overlived  him  eleven 
years. 

"  In  the  days  of  Peleg,"  therefore,  may  as  well  be  argued  to 
mean  near  the  close  of  his  life,  as  at  any  other  period  ;  this  would 
give  time  for  a  very  considerable  knowledge  of  the  earth's  coun- 
tries to  have  been  obtained  ;  so  that  Noah  could  have  made  a 
judicious  division  of  it  among  the  posterity  of  his  sons. 

This  grand  division  of  the  earth,  is  supposed,  by  some,  to  have 


2(» 


AMF.RHAN    ANTKiUITIF.S 


been  only  «  polHicul  divisiuii  ;  but  by  others,  u  {ibysical  or  gcognt- 
phicai  one.  This  hitter  opiniun  is  I'avoiirrd  b\  A(h<in  (Jhirk.  Scr 
his  comment  on  the  25th  verse  of  the  lOth  chapter  of  Genesis,  as 
follovs  :  "  A  separation  of  Conl'ments  luul  ishmds  from  the  main 
land,  the  earthy  parts  having  been  united  in  one  great  continent, 
previous  to  the  days  of  Peleg."  But  at  this  era,  when  men  and 
animals  had  found  their  way  to  the  several  quarters  of  the  earth,  it 
seemed  good  to  the  Creator  to  break  down  those  uniting  portions  of 
land,  by  bringing  into  action  the  winds,  the  billows,  and  subterra- 
nean fires,  which  soon,  by  their  repeated  and  united  forces,  remov- 
ed each  isthmus,  throwing  them  along  the  coasts  of  the  several  con- 
tinents, and  forming  them  into  islands  ;  thus  destroying,  for  uise 
purposes,  those  primeval  highways  of  the  first  nations. 


SUPPOSED  IDENTITY  AND  URAL  NAME  OF  MELCHISIDEK  Oh' 

THE  SCKIPTIJKES. 


i 


This  is  indeed  an  interesting  problem,  the  solution  of  which  has 
perplexed  its  thousands  ;  most  of  whom  suppose;  him  to  have  been 

the  Son  of  God,  some  angelic,  or  mysterious,  supernatural  person- 
age, ratber  than  a  mere  man.     This  general  opinion  proceeds  on 

the  ground  of  the  Scripture  account  of  him,  as  commonly  under- 
stood, being  expressed  as  follows  :  "  Without  father,  without  mo- 
ther, without  descent,  having  neither  beginning  of  days,  nor  end  of 

life,  but  made  like  unto  the  Son  of  God,  abideth  a  priest  continu- 

jjly."     Hebrews  vii.  3. 

But,  without  further  circumlocution,  we  will  at  once  declose  our 

opinion,  by  stating  that  we  believe  him  to  have  been  Shem,  the 

eldest  son  of  Noah,  the  immediate  progenitor  of  Abraham,  Isaac, 

Jacob,  and  the  Jews,  and  none  other  than  Shem,  "  the  man  of 

name,  or  renown." 


^':-^:^i^-'Jti£.-jr^~: 


;sis.  as 
!  main 
tinent, 
in  and 
arth,  it 
tions  of 
ibtcrra- 
remov- 
■ral  con- 
for  wise 


IDEK  OV 

ivliicli  has 
iav<!  b(!Oii 
al  person- 
jcccds  on 
V  nnder- 
thout  mo- 
nor  end  of 
;  continn- 

leclose  our 
SliEM,  the 
lam,  Isaac, 
the  man  of 


\M)    DISCOVF.RIKS    IN    TtlK  UK  ST  21 

W»f  derivi!  this  coiu-liision  iVoiii  tlu:  loscarcli  and  critical  com- 
mentary  of  the  learned  and  pious  Adam  (Mark,  who  }i;ives  us  this 
information  from  the  tradition  of  the  Jewish  Rabbins,  which,  with- 
out hesitation,  gives  this  honour  to  Slr.iu. 

The  particular  part  of  that  conuncntury  to  whicli  we  allude  as 

being' the  origin  of  our  belief,  on  this  subject,  is  the  preface  of  that 
author,  to  the  Book  of  Job,  on  page  71fi,  as  follows.  "  SiiF.M  lived 
five  hundred  and  two  years  after  the  Doluge ;  being  still  alive,  and 
in  the  three  hundred  and  ninety-tliird  year  of  his  life,  when  Abra- 
ham was  born  ;  there/ore,  the  Jewish  tradition  that  Shem  was  the 
Melchisedeck,  or  my  righteous  king,  of  Salem,"  which  tcmd  Mel- 
chi.-edeck,  was  "  an  epithet,  or  title  of  honour  and  respect,  not  a  pro- 
per name,  and  therefore,  as  the  head  and  father  of  his  race,  Abra- 
ham paid  tithes  to  him.  This  seems  to  be  wtll  founded,  and  the 
idea  confirmed  by  these  remarkaiile  words.  Psalms,  110,  Jehovah 
hath  sworn  and  will  not  repent,  or  change,  at  tah  cohenleolam  al  di- 
hade  MalLhscdek.  Afi  if  he  iiad  said,  Thou  my  only  begotten  Son, 
^irst  born  of  many  brethren,  not  according  to  the  substituted  priest- 
hood of  the  sons  of  Levi,  Vvlio,  after  the  sin  of  the  golden  calf, 
.stood  up  in  lieu  of  all  the  first  born  of  Israel,  invested  with  their 
forfeited  rights  of  primogeniture  of  king  and  priest :  the  Lord  hath 
sworn,  and  will  not  repent,  (change.)  Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever, 
after  the  (my  order  of  Melchiscdek,  my  own  original  primitive)  or- 
der of  primogeniture  :  even  as  Shem,  the  man  of  name,  the  Slicm 
jlhat  stands  the  first  and  foremost  of  the  sons  of  Noah.  The  right- 
eous Prince,  and  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God  meets  his  descendant, 
Abraham,  after  the  slaughter  of  the  kings,  with  refreshments ;  and 
blessed  him,  as  the  head  and  father  of  his  race;  the  Jews  in  par- 
ticular, and,  as  such,  he  received  from  Abraham,  the  tithe  of  all  the 
spoil. 

How  beautifully  docs  Paul  of  Tarsus,  writing  to  the  Hebrews, 
point,  through  Melchisedek,  or  (Siieji,  the  head  and  father  of  their 
race)  invested  in  all  the  original  rights  of  primogeniture,  Priest  of 


22  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

the  Most  Ili^h  God,  bicssinp;  Abraham  as  such,  before  Levi  had 
existence,  and  as  such  receiving  tithe  from  Abraham,  and  in  him 
from  Levi,  yet  in  the  ioiiis  of  his  forefathers :  Moses,  on  this 
great  and  solemn  occasion,  riTords  simply  this : — Melchisedek,  king 
of  Salem,  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God,  sine  ycncalogia ;  his  pedi- 
gree not  mentioned,  but  standing  as  Adam  in  St.  Luke's  genealogy 
without  father,  and  without  mother,  Adam  of  God.  Luke,  iii.  38. 
How  beautifully,  I  say,  doth  St.  Paul  point,  through  Melchisedek, 
to  Jehoshua,  our  Great  High  Priest  and  King,  Jesus  Christ,  whose 
eternal  generation  who  shall  declare !  Ha  Mashiach,  tliC  Lord's 
Anointed  High  Priest,  and  King,  after  the  order  of  Melchisedek : 
only  begotten,  first  born  son." 

Thus  far  for  the  preface  on  the  subject  of  Melchisedek,  showing 
that  he  was  none  other  than  Shem,  the  son  of  Noah.  We  shall 
now  give  the  same  author's  views  of  the  same  supposed  mysterious 
character,  Melchisedek,  as  found  in  his  notes  on  the  7th  of  He- 
brews, commencing  at  the  third  verse. 

Without  father,  without  mother,  ^vithout  descent,  having 
neither  beginning  of  days  nor  end  of  life.  "  The  object  of  the 
apostle,  in  thus  producing  the  example  of  Melchisedek,  was  to 
show — 1st.  That  Jesus  was  the  person  prophesied  of  in  the  110th 
Psalm ;  which  Psalm,  the  Jews  uniformly  understood,  as  predicting 
the  Messiah.  2d.  To  answer  the  objections  of  the  Jews  against 
the  legitimacy  of  the  Priesthood  of  Christ,  arising  from  the  stock 
from  which  He  proceeded.  The  objection  is  this :  if  the  Messiah 
is  a  true  Priest,  he  must  come  form  a  legitimate  stock,  as  all  the 
Priests  under  the  law  have  regularly  done ;  otherwise  we  cannot 
acknowledge  him  to  be  a  Priest. 

But  Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  not  proceeded  from  such  a  stock ; 
therefore,  we  cannot  acknowledge  him  for  a  Priest,  the  Antitype 
of  Aaron.  To  this  objection  the  apostle  answers,  that  it  was  not  ne- 
cessary for  the  Priest  to  come  from  a  particular  stock  ;  for  Melchi- 
sedek was  a  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God,  and  yet  was  not  of  the 


I 


I 


AND   DISl    iVEniES   IN   THE  U  EST 


2:? 


i  hftd 
n  him 
n  this 
:,  kinR 
s  pedi- 
iealo|?y 
iii.  38. 
isedek, 
,  whose 
;  Lord's 
isedek : 

showing 
U  shall 
ysterious 
1  of  He- 

t,  having 
:t  of  the 

was  to 
he  110th 
iredicting 
3  against 
he  stock 

Messiah 
all  the 
ve  cannot 

a  stock; 

Antitype 

as  not  ne- 

Melchi- 

lot  of  the 


stock  t'itlu!!'  of  Abraliam  (for  Mt  Idiisodek  was  bcfori-  Abraham,) 
or  Aaron,  but  was  a  Canaaiith 

It  is  well  known  thai  fhe  ancient  ./«'us,  or  Hebrews,  were 'ex- 
ceedingly scrupulous  in  choosing  tlioir  JTiij/i  Piiat;  partly  by  di- 
vine command,  and  partly  from  the  tradition  of  tlieir  ancestors,  who 
always  considered  this  office  to  be  of  the  bigliest  dignity.  1st.  God 
had  commanded.  Lev.  xxi,  10,  that  the  High  Pritst  should  be 
chosen  from  among  their  brethren  .'  that  is,  from  the  family  of  Aa- 
ron. 2d.  That  he  should  marry  a  virgin.  3d.  He  must  not  mar- 
ry a  widow.  4th.  Nor  a  divorced  person.  .5th.  Nor  a  harlot. 
6th.  Nor  one  of  another  nation-  He  who  was  found  to  have  acted 
contrary  to  these  requisitions,  was,  jure  J)inno,  excluded  from  the 
pontificate,  or  eligibility  to  hold  that  office. 

On  the  contrary,  it  was  necessary  that  he  who  desired  this  honor, 
should  be  able  to  prove  his  descent  from  the  family  of  Aaron :  and 
if  he  could  not,  though  even  in  the  Priesthood,  he  was  cast  out ;  as 
we  find  from  Ezra,  ii.  62,  and  Nchem.  7.  63.  To  these  Divine 
ordinances,  the  Jews  have  added,  1st.  That  no  proselyte  could  be 
a  Priest ;  2d.  Nor  a  slave ;  3d.  Nor  a  bastard  ;  4th.  Nor  the  son 
of  a  Nethinnim  :  these  were  a  class  of  men  who  were  servants  to 
the  Priests  and  Levites,  not  of  their  tribe,  to  draw  water,  and  to 
hew  wood.     5th.  Nor  one  whose  father  exercised  any  base  trade. 

And  that  they  might  be  well  assured  of  all  this,  they  took  the  ut- 
most care  to  preserve  their  genealogies,  which  were  regularly  kept 
in  the  archives  of  the  temple.  When,  if  any  person  aspired  to  the 
sacerdotal  function,  his  genealogical  table  was  carefully  inf.  ected  ; 
and  if  any  of  the  above  blemishes  was  found  in  him,  ht  'v  is  re- 
jected." 

But  here  the  matter  comes  to  a  point,  as  it  respects  our  inquiry 
respecting  Melchisedek's  having  no  father  nor  mother.  "  He  who 
could  not  support  his  pretensions  by  just  genealogical  evidences,  was 
said  to  be  without  father.  Thus  in  Bereshilh  Raf'>a,  Sect.  xviii,fol. 
18,  are  these  words,  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  fatlier  and 


24 


AMEUlCAiN    ANTIQUITIES 


mothtr.  It  is  said,  il"  u  prosolyte  to  tlie  J(!\visli  religion  luivc  mar- 
ried his  own  sister,  Aviicther  by  the  siuiie  father  or  by  the  same 
mother,  they  cast  her  out,  aceordin}>-  to  Rabbi  JMeir.  But  the  wise 
men  say,  if  she  be  of  the  same  mother^  they  cast  her  out ;  but  if 
of  the  same  father,  they  retain  her,  shtbi  ab  la  (jui,''''  for  a  Gentile 
has  no  father  J  that  is,  his  father  is  not  reckoned  in  the  Jewish  gene- 
alogies. 

In  this  way,  both  Christ  and  Melchisedek  were  without  father, 
and  without  mother,'^  had  neither  beginning  of  days,  descent  of 
lineage,  nor  end  of  life,  in  their  books  of  genealogies,  which  gave 
a  man  a  right  to  the  Priesthood,  as  derived  from  Aaron ;  that  is, 
were  not  descended  from  the  original  Jewish  sacerdotal  stock.  Yet 
Melchisedek,  who  was  a  Canaanite,  was  a  Priest  of  the  Most  High 
God.  This  sense  Suidas  *  confirms  under  the  word  Melchisedek, 
where,  after  stating  that  he  reigned  a  prince  in  Salem,  i.  e.  Jerusa- 
lem, 113  years,  he  died  a  righteous  man.  To  this  he  adds,  "  He 
is,  therefore,  said  to  be  ^vithout  dascod  or  (jcueulogy^  because  he 
was  not  of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  (for  Abraham  ^v■as  his  seed)  but 
of  Canaaiiitish  origin." 

We  think  this  suificient  to  show  the  ri-asou  why  he  is  said  to  have 
had  no  father  nor  mother,  beginning  of  days,  nor  end  of  life,  as  stated 
in  Hebrews.  But  this  is  not  said  of  him  in  the  Book  of  Genesis, 
where  we  first  become  accpiainted  with  this  truly  wonderful  cha- 
racter 

It  should  be  recollected,  that  the  Jewish  genealogies  went  no  far- 
ther back,  for  the  qualifications  of  their  jniestly  credentials,  or  eligi- 
bility to  the  pontifical  office,  than  to  the  time  and  family  of  Aaron  ; 
which  ^7as  more  than  four  hundred  years  after  that  of  Abraham  and 
Melchisedek.  No  wonder  then,  that  Christ's  genealogy  was  not 
found  on  their  records,  so  as  to  give  him  a  claim  to  that  oflTice,  such 
as  they  might  approve. 

'  Suidas,  a  Greek  sL'iiolai  ol  emiucacL',  who  lluuiibliud  A  D.  U75,  and  wak 
an  ecclesiastical  wrilcr  of  that  ape  ^ 


I 


AM)    DIKtOVKKtKS    IN    THE  UKST. 


2d 


i  mai- 

saine 
e  wise 

but  if 
Sentile 
[1  gcne- 

fatber, 
icent  of 
icb  gave 

tbat  is, 
;k.    Yet 
ost  Higb 
;bisedck, 
:.  Jerusa- 
Lds, "  He 
icause  be 
ieed)  but 

to  bave 
as  stated 
Genesis, 
iful  cba- 

nt  no  tar- 
or  cbgi- 
f  Aaron ; 
abam  and 

f-  was  not 
(bee,  sucb 

7J,  aud  \>«»i» 


But  in  as  i  icb  as  Melcbisedek  was  grt;ater  tban  Abraham,  from 
wlionj  tbe  Jewisb  race  imnu'diately  oiii^inated,  be  argues  from  the 
authority  of  the  llOth  Psalui,  wliere  Melcbisedek  is  spoken  of, 
which  tbe  Jews  allowed  to  be  spoken  of  Christ,  or  the  Messiah, 
who  was  to  come,  and  was,  therefore,  a  Priest  after  the  order  of 
that  extraordinary  Prince  of  Peace,  and  King  of  Salem ;  because, 
neither  had  he  such  a  claim  on  the  Jewish  genealogies,  as  required 
by  tbe  Jews,  so  as  to  make  him  eligible  to  their  priesthood,  for  they 
knew,  or  might  have  known,  tbat  Christ  did  not  come  of  the  Aa- 
ronic  race,  but  of  the  line  or  tribe  of  Jiidali. 

That  be  was  a  man,  a  mere  man,  born  of  a  woman,  and  begotten 
after  the  ordinary  manner,  by  a  natural  generation,  is  attested  by 
St.  Paul's  own  extraordinary  expression.  See  Hebrews,  vii.  4, 
"  Now  consider  bow  great  this  man  was,  unto  whom  Abraham  gave 
the  tenth  of  the  spoils."  However  wonderfully  elevated,  among 
men,  and  in  the  sight  of  (jod  ;  however  jwwerful  and  rich,  wise, 
holy  and  happy  ;  he  was,  nevetbeless,  a  mere  mauj'ot  the  tenth  of 
tbe  spoils  be  would  not  have  received. 

But  the  question  is,  what  man  was  be,  and  what  was  his  name .'' 
^'  Now  consider  how  f/rcat  this  man  was,"  are  words  which  may 
possibly  lead  us  to  the  same  conclusion,  which  we  have  quoted  from 
tbe  preface  to  the  Book  of  Job. 

There  are  not  wanting  circumstances  to  elevate  this  man  in  tbe 
scale  of  society,  far  above  a  common  level  with  tbe  rest  of  tlie  in- 
habitants of  bis  country,  of  sufficient  importance  to  justify  St.  Paul 
in  saying, "  now  consider  how  great  this  man  was." 

We  shall  recount  some  of  the  circumstances  :  and  first,  at  the 
lime  he  met  Abraham,  when  he  was  returning  from  the  slaughter 
of  tbe  kings  who  had  carried  away  FiOt,  the  half  brother  of  Abra- 
ham, with  all  his  goods,  his  wife  and  children,  and  bksscdhim  ;  he 
was  the  ol(ksl  man  then  on  the  earth.   This  circumstance  alone  was 

of  no  small  amount,  and  highly  calculated  to  elevate  Shem  iu  the 

1 


2'4SPK 


OO 


if! 


ill 
In 

rl 


I  i 


r 


J 


26 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


eyes  of  mankind ;  for  he  was  then  more  than  five  hundred  and  fif- 
ty years  old. 

Second ;  he  was  then  the  only  man  on  the  eartlf  a\  ho  liad  lived 
before  the  flood ;  and  had  been  conversant  with  the  nations,  the  in- 
stitutions, the  state  of  agriculture  and  the  arts,  as  understood  and 
practised  by  the  antedeluvians. 

Third;  he  was  the  only  man  who  could  tcl!  them  about  the  locu- 
tion of  the  garden  of  Eden ;  a  question,  no  doubt,  of  great  curiosity 
and  moment  to  those  early  nations,  so  near  the  tlood  ;  the  manner 
in  which  the  fall  of  Adam  and  Eve  took  place.  He  could  tell 
them  what  sort  of  fruit  it  was,  and  how  the  tree  looked  on  which 
it  grew  ;  and  from  Shem  it  is  more  than  jjrobable,  the  Jews  receiv- 
ed the  idea  that  the  forbidden  fruit  was  that  of  the  (jrape  vincy 
as  is  found  in  their  traditions. 

Shem  could  tell  them  what  sort  of  serpent  it  was,  whether  an 
Ourang  Outang,  as  believed  by  some,  that  the  evil  spirit  made  use 
of  to  deceive  the  woman  ;  he  could  tell  them  about  the  former  beau- 
ty of  the  earth,  before  it  had  become  ruined  by  the  commotion  of 
the  waters  of  the  flood ;  the  form  and  situation  of  countries,  and 
of  the  extent,  and  amount  of  human  population.  He  could  tell  them 
how  the  nations  who  filled  the  earth  with  their  violence  and  rapine;, 
used  to  go  about  the  situation  of  the  happy  garden  to  wliich  no  man 
was  allowed  to  approach  nor  enter,  on  account  of  the  dreadful  Che- 
rubim, and  the  flaming  sword  ;  and  how  they  blasphemed  against 
the  judgments  of  the  Most  High  on  that  account. 

Fourth;  Shem  could  inform  them  about  the  pjogress  of  the  ark, 
where  it  was  built,  and  what  opposition  and  ridicule  his  father, 
Noah,  met  with  while  it  was  being  builded  ;  he  could  tell  respect- 
ing the  violent  manners  of  the  antedeluvians,  and  what  their  pe- 
culiar aggravated  sins  chiefly  consisted  in — what  God  meant  when 
he  said  that  "  all  flesh  had  corrupted  its  way  before  Him,"  except 
the  single  family  of  Noah.  There  are  those  who  imagine,  from 
that  peculiar  phraseology,  ullfleah  hath  corrupted  its  way  on  the 


I 


IH 


AND    nrsCOVERIF.S    IN    THE  WEST. 


27 


and  tif- 

id  lived 
,  the  in- 
ood  and 

tlie  loou- 
curiosity 
e  manner 
could  tell 
on  which 
vvs  receiv- 
mpe   vinCy 

whether  an 
t  made  use 
iimcr  beau- 
Dimotion  of 
ntries,   and 
d  tell  thoni 
and  rapine, 
lich  no  man 
eadful  Che- 
Tied  against 

of  the  ark, 
his  fvither, 
tell  respect- 
lat  their  pc- 
meaut  when 
"  im,"  except 
lagine,  from 
i  way  0"  the 


varth,"  that  the  human  form  had  become  mingled  with  that  of  ani- 
mals. If  so,  it  was  high  time  they  were  drowned,  both  man  and 
beast,  for  reasons,  too  obvious  to  need  illustration  here;  it  was 
high  time  that  the  soil  was  purged  by  water,  and  torn  to  frag- 
ments and  buried  beneath  the  earthly  matter,  thrown  up  from 
depths  not  so  polluted.  There  are  those  who  imagine  that  the  Ou- 
rang  Outang  is  one  evidence  of  that  corruption,  permitted  to  live, 
and  to  be  saved  with  other  animals  in  the  Ark :  to  mortify  the  in- 
iiabitants  of  the  earth,  when  they  see  so  exact  a  resemblance  of 
the  human  lim1)s  and  form,  in  those  of  that  contemptible  and  dis- 
gusting, though  partially  rational,  dumb  beast. 

Fifth  ;  Shera  was  the  only  man  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  who 
could  tell  them  of  the  promised  Messiah,  of  whom  he  was  the  most 
glorious  and  expressive  type,  afforded  to  men,  before  his  coming,  as 
attested  by  St.  Paul.  It  is  extremely  probable  that  with  this  maO) 
Abraham  had  enjoyed  long  and  close  acquaintance,  for  he  was  de- 
scended of  his  loins,  from  whom  he  learned  the  knowledge  of  the 
True  God,  in  all  probability,  in  the  midst  of  his  Chaldean,  idola- 
trous nation,  and  became  a  convert  to  the  faith  of  Melchisedek, 
From  the  familiar  manner  with  which  Melchisedek,  or  Shem,  which 
we  are  compelled  to  believe,  was  indeed,  Melchisedek,  met  Abra- 
Jiam,  and  blessed  him,  in  reference  to  the  great  Messiah;  we  are 
strongly  inclined  to  believe  them  old  acquaintance. 

Sixth  ;  It  appears  that  Shem,  or  Melchisedek,  had  gotten  great 
possessions,  and  influence  among  men,  as  that  he  had  become  king 
of  Salem,  or  ancient  Jebus,  where  Jerusalem  was  afterward  built, 
and  where  mount  Ziou  reared  her  alabaster  towers,  and  was  the  only 
temple  in  which  the  true  God  was  understandingly  worshipped, 
then  on  the  earth.  It  is  not  impossible,  but  the  mountainous  re- 
gion about  mount  Horeb,  and  the  mountains  round  about  Je- 
rusalem, were,  before  the  flood,  the  base  or  foundation  of  the 
country  ,and  exact  location  of  the  region  of  the  garden,  called  Eden, 
the  place  where  Adam  was  created.     But  when  the  waters  of  the 


^ 


28 


AMERICAN    ANTFQUITrrs 


deluge  came,  it  tore  away  all  the  cartliy  matter,  and  left  standing 
those  tremendous  pinnaeles,  and  ovcrlianginp;  mountains,  of  the  re- 
gion of  Jerusplem. 

By  examiniUj^  the  map  on  an  artificial  globe,  it  will  be  seen,  the 
region  of  country  situated  between  the  eastern  end  of  the  Mediter^ 
ranean  Sea,  the  Black  and  Caspian  Seas,  and  the  Persian  Gulf; 
there  are  many  rivers  running  into  these  several  waters,  all  heading 
toward  each  other  ;  among  which  is  the  Euphrates,  one  of  the  riv* 
ers  mentioned  by  Moses,  as  deriving  its  origin  in  the  garden,  or 
country  of  Eden.  Mountainous  countries  are  the  natural  sources 
of  rivers.  From  which  we  argue  that  Eden  must  have  been  a  high 
region  of  country,  as  intimated  in  Genesis,  entirely  inaccessible  on 
all  sides,  but  the  east ;  at  which  point  the  sword  of  the  Cherubim 
was  placed  to  guard  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life.  Some  have  ima- 
gined the  Persian  Gulf  to  bo  the  sjiot  where  the  garden  was  situa- 
ted. But  this  is  impossible,  as  that  the  river  Euphrates  runs  into 
that  gulf,  from  toAvard  Jerusalem,  or  from  north  of  Jerusalem.  And 
as  the  region  of  Eden  was  the  source  o(  four  large  rivers;  running 
in  difl'erent  directions ;  so  also,  now  the  region  round  about  the 
present  head  waters  of  the  Eupluates,  is  the  source  of  many  rivers, 
as  said  above ;  on  which  account,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  but 
here  the  paradise  of  Adam  was  situated,  before  the  deluge.  If  the 
Euphrates  is  one  of  the  rivers  having  its  source  in  the  garden  or 
country  of  Eden,  as  Moses  has  recorded,  it  is  then  proved,  to  a 
demonstration,  that  tlie  region  as  above  described,  is  the  ancient 
and  primeval  site  oj'  the  literal  paradise  of  Adam. 

Tluire  is  a  sort  of  fitness  in  the  idc^as  we  are  about  to  advance, 
although  they  are  not  wholly  susceptible  of  proof,  nor  of  very  con- 
vincing argument ;  yet,  there  is  no  impropriety  nor  incongruity, 
while  there  is  an  impercej)lib!(!  artiuiescence  steals  over  the  mind, 
as  we  contemplate  the  sulijeet. 

We  imagine  that  the  very  spot  when- .Tesus  Christ  was  crucified, 
may  have  been  the  place  where  Adam  and  I'^ve  were  created.    At 


AND  DISCOVKBIES    IN   TIIK    WEST. 


29 


tabling 
tlio  re- 

een,  the 
Mediter* 
an  Gulf; 
I  heading 
f  the  riv- 
rarden,  or 
il  sources 
een  a  high 
^essible  on 
Cherubim 
have  ima- 
was  situa- 
!S  runs  into 
ilem.    And 
•s;  running 
I  about  the 
nany  rivers, 
e  doubt  but 
ige.     If  the 
le  garden  or 
)roved,  to  a 
the  ancient 

to  advance, 

of  very  cou- 

incongruity, 

cr  the  mind, 

vas  crucified, 
created-    At 


* 


i 


whatsoever  place  it  was,  it  is  certain  that  not  far  from  the  identical 
place,  he  fell,  by  means  of  the  devil,  or  rather  his  own  sin,  as  the 
time  from  his  creation  till  he  fell  was  very  short.  It  is  believed  that 
the  hill  of  crucilixion  was  also  the  hill  called  Mount  Moriah,  to 
which  God  sent  Abraham  to  slay  his  son  Isaac,  who  was  also  a 
type  of  the  Messiah.  Hero  it  appers  Melchisedek  had  the  seat  of 
his  kingly  and  pontifical  government.  The  place  appears  to  be 
marked  with  more  than  ordinary  precision,  as  the  theatre  where 
God  chose  to  act,  or  cause  to  be  acted,  from  age  to  age,  the  things 
which  pointed  to  the  awful  catastrophe — the  death  of  his  Son. 

What  is  more  natural  than  to  suppose,  that  the  Redeemer  would 
choose  for  the  scene  of  his  victory  over  the  enemy  of  man,  the  very 
spot  where  he  caused  his  fall.  Here  too,  it  is  believed,  Christ 
will,  at  his  second  coming,  appear,  when,  with  the  sound  of  the 
first  trumpet,  the  righteous  d(^ad  will  arise.  The  spot  has  been 
marked  as  the  scene  of  wonders,  above  all  other  places  on  the  earth ; 
and  on  this  account  is  it  not  allowable  to  imagine  that  here  all  na- 
tions shall  be  gathered,  filling  the  whole  region,  not  only  of  Jerusa- 
lem, but  also  the  whole  surrounding  heaven,  with  the  quickened 
dead,  to  attend  the  last  judgment,  while  the  Son  of  God  shall  sit  on 
his  triumphant  throne  in  the  mid  air,  exactly  over  the  spot  where 
ke  suffered,  and,  probably,  where  man  fell. 

Thus  far  we  have  treated  on  the  subject  of  Melchisedec,  show- 
ing reasons  why  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  /S7/f/«,  the  Son  of  No- 
ah, and  reasons  why  St.  Paul  should  say,  "  now  consider  how  great 
this  man  was."  We  will  only  add,  that  the  word  McHtisedck  is  not 
the  name  of  that  man  so  called,  but  is  only  a  term,  or  appellation, 
used  in  relation  to  him,  by  God  himself,  which  is  the  same  as  to 
say,  my  righteom  king.  So  that  Melchisedek  was  not  the  natne  he 
received  at  his  birth,  but  was  Shem,  as  the  Jews  inform  us  in  their 
traditions. 

But  to  return  to  our  subject,  respecting  the  division  of  the 
earth  in   the  days  of  Pcleg.     If,  then,  the  division  of  the  earth 


30 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIKS 


W-'   ■; 


M  ^ 


was  a  pliysioal  one,  consequently  such  as  had  settled  on  its  se- 
veral parts  beforr  this  division,  became  for  ever  separated  to- 
wards the  four  quarters  of  the  globe.  If  this  position  be  true,  the 
mystery  is  at  once  unriddled,  how  men  and  animals  are  found  on 
all  the  earth,  not  excepting  the  islands,  however  far  removed  from 
other  lands  by  intervening  seas. 

But  of  this  matter  we  shall  speak  again  towards  the  close  of  this 
work,  when  we  hope  to  throw  some  degree  of  light  upon  this  ob- 
.scure,  yet  exceedingly  interesting,  subject. 

We  here  take  the  opportunity,  and  crave  the  reader's  patience, 
as  that  as  soon  as  we  have  given  an  account  of  the  dispersion  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth,  immediately  after  the  flood,  from  whom 
sprang  the  several  nations  mentioned  in  sacred  and  profane  ancient 
history,  we  shall  then  come  to  our  main  subject,  namely,  that  of 
the  Antiquities  of  America. 

In  order  to  give  an  recount  of  those  nations,  we  follow  the  Com- 
mentary of  Adam  Clark,  on  the  10th  chapter  of  the  book  of  Gene- 
sis ;  which  is  the  only  book  under  heaven  to  which  we  can  resort 
for  information  of  the  kind  ;  all  other  works  which  touch  this  point, 
are  only  illustrative  and  corrobutory.  Even  the  boasted  antiquity 
of  the  Chinese,  going  back  millions  of  ages,  as  often  quoted  by  the 
sceptic,  is  found,  v.hen  rightly  understood,  to  come  quite  within  the 
account  given  by  Moses  of  the  Creation. 

This  is  asserted  by  Baron  Humboldt,  an  historian  of  the  Jirst  or- 
der, whose  mind  was  embellished  with  a  universal  knowledge  of 
the  manners,  customs,  and  traits  of  science,  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  rarely  acquired  by  any  man. 

Their  account  of  their  first  knowledge  of  the  oldpst  of  their  gods, 
shows  their  antiquity  ol  origin  to  be  no  higher  thar  Jic  Creation,  a.^ 
related  in  Genesis.  Their  Shaslnts,  a  book  which  gives  an  ac- 
count of  the  incarnation  of  the  god  Vishmo,  stales  that  his  first  in- 
carnation was  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  i  p  the  Vedus,  [sacred 
books,]  from  the  deep.     This  appearance  of  Vishnoo,  they  say, 


i 


AND  DCSCOVERIKS    IN    TIIK    WKST. 


31 


its  se- 
ted  to- 
rue,  the 
bund  on 
'ed  from 

e  of  this 
1  this  ob- 

patiencc, 
ion  of  the 
m  whom 
le  ancient 
ly,  that  of 

the  Com- 
t  of  Gene- 
can  resort 
this  point, 
I  antiquity 
ted  by  the 
within  the 

le  first  or* 
)wledge  of 
ons  of  the 

their  god», 
Ireation,  as 
ves  an  ac- 
his  first  in- 
^is,  [sacred 
they  say, 


was  in  the  form  of  a  fish.  The  books,  the  lisli,  and  tlie  deep,  are 
all  derived  from  Noah,  whose  account  of  the  Creation  has  furnish- 
ed the  ground  of  this  Chinese  tradition.  In  his  second  incarnation, 
he  took  the  newly  created  world  on  his  bock,  as  he  had  assumed 
the  form  of  a  tortoise,  to  make  it  stable.  This  alludes  to  the  Mo- 
saic account,  which  says,  God  separated  tlie  ^^•ater  from  the  dry 
land,  and  assigned  them  each  their  place.  In  his  third  incarnation, 
he  took  the  form  of  a  wild  boar,  and  drew  the  earth  out  of  the  sea, 
into  which  it  had  sunk  during  a  periodical  destruction  of  the  world. 

This  is  a  tradition  of  the  deluge,  and  of  the  subsiding  of  the~wa- 
ters,  when  the  tops  of  the  mountains  first  appeared. 

A  fourth  incarnation  of  this  god,  was  for  the  rescue  of  a  son, 
whose  father  was  about  to  slay  him.  What  else  is  this  but  the  ac- 
count of  Abraham's  going  to  slay  his  son  Isaac,  but  was  rescued 
by  the  appearance  of  an  angel,  forbidding  tlie  transaction.  In  a 
fifth  incarnation,  he  destroyed  a  giant,  who  despised  the  gods,  and 
committed  violence  in  the  earth.  This  fjiant  was  none  other  than 
Nimrod,  the  author  of  idolatry,  the  founder  of  Babel,  who  is  called 
even  by  the  Jews,  in  their  traditions,  a  surly  giant. 

"  Now  these  are  the  generations  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  Shem, 
Ham,  and  Japheth  ;  and  unto  them  were  sons  born  after  the  flood." 
Gen.  X.  1st  verse,  and  onward. 

The  sons  of  Japheth  :  "  Japheth  is  supposed  to  be  the  same  with 
Japetus  of  the  Greeks,  from  whoni,  in  an  extreme  remote  antiquity, 
that  people  were  supposed  to  have  derived  their  origin.  On  this 
point  most  chronologists  are  pretty  well  agreed.  Gomer  is  sup- 
posed to  have  peopled  Gallatia  ;  this  was  a  son  of  Japheth.  So 
Josephus,  who  says  that  the  Gallatians,  (or  French  people,  derived 
from  the  ancient  Belgiac  tribes,)  were  anciently  named  Gomerites. 
From  him  the  Cimmerians,  or  Cimbriaus,  are  supposed  to  have  de- 
rived their  origin.  Bochart,  a  learned  French  protestant,  born  at 
Rouen,  iu  Normandy,  iu  the  16th  century,  has  no  doubt  that  tlie 


32 


AMKIUCAN    ANTIUUniES 


Phrygians  sprung  IVom  this  person  ;  and  somo  of  our  priuei])al  couv- 
mentators  are  of  this  opinion. 

Madai,  one  of  the  sons  of  Japheth,  is  supposed  to  be  the  progen- 
itor of  the  ancient  Medes.  Javan,  was  another  of  his  sons,  from 
whom,  it  is  almost  universally  believed,  sprung  the  lonians  of  Asia 
Minor.  Tubal,  is  supposed  to  be  the  father  of  the  Iberians^  and 
that  a  part,  at  least,  of  Spain  was  peopled  by  him,  and  his  descend- 
ants ;  and  that  Meschech,  Avho  is  generally  in  Scripture  joined  with 
liim,  was  the  founder  of  the  Cappadocians,  from  whom  proceeded 
the  Muscovites,  or  Russians. 

Thus  ;  from  this  person,  according  to  general  consent,  the  Thra- 
cians  derived  their  origin.  Asiikenaz  ;  from  this  person  was  de- 
rived the  name  Sacarjena,  a  province  of  Armenia..  Plmy^  one  of 
the  most  learned  of  the  ancient  Romans,  who  lived  immediately  af- 
ter the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era,  mentions  a  people  call- 
ed Ascanticos,  who  dwelt  about  the  Tunnis  and  Pahis-Maioticus  ; 
and  some  supjwse  that  from  Ashkenaz,  the  Euxine  or  black  Sea, 
derived  its  name ;  but  others  supjwse  that  from  him  the  Germans 
derived  their  origin. 

RirnATH  ;  the  founder  of  the  Paphlagonians,  which  were  called, 
anciently,  Riphatoel.  Touakma  ;  the  inhabitants  of  Sawomates, 
or  of  Turcomania. 

Elshah  ;  as  Javan,  peopled  a  considerable  part  of  Greece.  It  is 
in  that  region  we  must  look  for  the  settlements  of  his  descendants. 
Elishah  probably  was  the  first  who  settled  at  Elis,  in  Peloponesus. 
Tarshis  ;  he  first  inhabited  CUicia^  whose  capital,  anciently,  was 
the  city  of  Tarsus ^  where  St.  Paul  was  born. 

KiTTiM  :  Some  think  by  this  name  is  meant  Cyprus];  others  the 
isle  of  Chios,  and  others  the  Romans,  and  others  the  Macedonians. 
Dodanim,  or  Rodanm  :  Some  suppose  that  this  family  settled  at 
Dodana  ;  others,  at  the  Rhone,  in  France ;  the  andetU  name  of 
which  was  Rhodanus,  from  the  Scripture  Rhodanim  :  "  By  these 
were  the  isles  of  the  goxliks  di\idcd  iu  their  lauds."    EuRorE  ;. 


-1 


AND    OlSCOVERIllS    IN    THE  WKST. 


33 


pal  COIKr 

s  progen- 
ons,  from 

15  of  Asia 

I  desceiid- 
lined  with 
proceeded 

the  Thra- 
m  was  de- 
!(«»/,  one  of 
idiately  af- 
Kjople  call- 
Maioticus  ; 
black  Sea, 

16  Germans 

vera  called, 
Saiiromales, 

reece.  It  is 
escendants. 
•eloponesus. 
cieutly,  was 

;  others  the 
lacedonians. 
ly  settled  at 
ent  name  of 
:  "  By  these 
Europe  » 


H 


*>f  which  this  is  allowed  to  be  a  general  epithet,  and  comprt  ds 
all  those  countries  which  the  Hebrews  were  obliged  to  go  to  by 
sea  ;  such  as  Spiun,  Gaul,  or  France  ;  Italy,  Greece,  and  Asia 
Minor." 

Thus  far  we  have  noticed  the  spreading  out  over  many  countries, 
and  the  origin  of  many  nations,  arising  out  or  from  Japhelh,  one  of 
the  sons  of  Noah  ;  all  of  whom  are  white,  or  at  least  come  under 
that  class  of  complexions. 

The  descendants  of  Ham,  another  of  tlie  sons  of  Noah,  and  some 
of  the  nations  springing  from  him,  we  shall  next  bring  to  view. 
"  Cusil,  who  peopled  the  Arabic  nome,  or  province,  near  the  Red 
Sea,  in  Lo\ver  Egypt.  Some  think  the  Ethiopians  sprung  from 
him.  MiZRAM :  This  family  certainly  peopled  Egypt,  and  both 
in  the  east  ant"  ,ae  west.  Egypt  is  called  Mizraim. 
Wi  Phut  ;  who  first  peopled  an  Egyptian  nome,  or  district,  border- 
ing on  Lybia.  Canaan  ;  he  who  first  peopled  the  land  so  called  ; 
known  also  by  the  name  of  the  promised  land."  These  were  the 
nations  which  the  Jews^  who  descended  from  Sliem^  cast  out  from 
the  land  of  Canaan,  as  directed  by  God,  because  of  the  enormity, 
and  brutal  nature  of  their  crimes  ;  which  were  such  as  no  man  of 
the  present  age,  blosst;d  with  a  Christian  education,  would  excuse 
on  a  jury,  under  the  terrors  of  an  oatli,  from  the  punishment  of  death. 
They  practised,  as  did  the  antediluvians,  and  the  Sodomites,  those 
things  which  were  calculated  to  mingle  the  human  with  the  brute. 
Surely,  when  this  is  understood,  no  man,  not  even  a  disbeliever  in 
the  divinity  of  the  Bible,  will  blame  Moses  for  his  seeming  severi- 
ty, in  cutting  oft'  those  nations  with  the  besom  of  entire  extermi- 
nation. 

"  Seba,  the  founder  of  the  Sabeam :  There  seem  to  be  three 
<liflerent  people  of  this  name,  mentioned  in  this  10th  chapter  of  Ge- 
nesis, and  a  fourth  in  chapter  25  of  the  same  book."  The  queen 
of  Sheba  was  of  this  race,  who  came,  as  it  is  said,  from  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth,  to  Jerusalem,  to  know  the  wisdom  of  Solo- 


84 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUIirES 


\\ 


M    ' 


Lit 


,1  » 


mon,  and  the  Hebrew  religion  ;  she  was,  therefore,  being  a  de- 
scendant of  Ham's  posterity,  a  black  woman. 

Havila,  Sabtah,  Ramah,  Sabtechah,  Sheba,  Dedan  ;  these  are 
names  belonging  to  the  race  of  Ham,  but  the  nations  to  whom  they 
gave  rise,  is  not  interesting  to  our  subject.  Nimrod,  however, 
should  not  be  omitted,  who  was  of  the  race  of  Ham,  and  was  hia 
grand  son — as  that  the  world  is  indebted  to  this  monster  of  in-  • 
iquity,  for  the  invention  of  the  monarchical  and  despotic  forms  of 
government.  Of  whom  it  is  said,  that  he  was  a  surly  giant,  and  a 
mighty  hunter,  before  the  Lord  ;  meaning  not  only  liis  skill  and 
courage,  and  amazing  strength  and  ferocity,  in  the  destruction  of 
wild  animals,  which  infested  the  vast  wilds  of  the  earfh  at  that 
time  ;  but  a  destroyer  of  men's  lives,  and  the  originator  of  idolatry. 

It  was  this  Nimrod,  who  opposed  the  righteous  Melchisedek ;  and 
taught,  or  rather  compelled,  men  to  forsake  the  religion  of  SJiem,  or 
Melchisedek,  and  to  follow  the  institutes  of  Nimrod.  "  The  be- 
ginning of  his  kingdom  was  Babel,  Erech,  Acad,  and  Lalneh,  in 
the  land  of  Shinar.  Gen.  x.  10.  The  ::ovver  of  Babel,  and  city 
of  Babylon,  were  both  built  on  the  Euphrates.  Babel,  however, 
tras  first  built  by  Nimrod's  agency,  whose  influence,  it  appears, 
arose  much  from  the  fierceness  of  his  disposition,  and  from  his  sta- 
ture and  great  muscular  powers  ;  qualifications,  which  ignorant  and 
savage  nations,  in  every  age,  have  been  found  apt'fo  revere.  The 
Septuagint  version  of  the  Scriptures,  speaks  of  Nimrod  as  being  a 
surly  giant ;  this  was  a  coloured  man,  to  whom  the  monarchies  of 
the  earth,  ever  since  his  days,  (except  the  kings  of  Israel,  whom 
the  Lord  set  over  his  chosen  jjeople,  for  the  express  purpose  of 
keeping  the  Law  till  SMlo  should  come  ;)  should  feel  grateful  for 
the  invention  of  that  kind  of  government  which  annihilates  the  high 
and  holy  principles  of  equality,  and  the  rights  of  man. 

It  was  the  descendants  of  Japheth  who  originated  the  popular 
forms  of  government  in  the  earth  ;  as  among  the  Greeks,  the  Ro- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IX   TUF.  WEST. 


3ft 


and 


wans,  and  more  perfectly  among  the  Americans,  who  are  the  de- 
scendants of  Japheth.  • 

We  shall  omit  an  account  of  the  nations  arising  out  of  uie  de- 
scendants of  Shkm,  (for  we  need  not  mention  the  Jews,  of  whom 
all  men  know  they  descended  from  him  ;)  for  the  same  reftsons  as- 
signed for  the  omission  of  a  part  of  the  posterity  of  Ham,  because 
they  chiefly  settled  in  those  regions  of  Asia  too  remote  to  answer 
our  subject  any  valuable  purpose. 

"  In  confirmation,  however,  that  all  men  have  been  derived  from 
one  family,  let  it  be  observed  that  there  are  many  customs  and 
usages,  both  sacred  and  civil,  which  have  prevailed  in  alt  parts  of 
the  world  ;  which  could  owe  their  origin  to  nothing  but  a  general 
institution,  which  could  not  have  existed,  had  not  mankind  been  of 
the  same  blood  originally,  and  instructed  in  the  same  common  no- 
tions, before  they  were  dispersed,"  from  the  mountains  of  Ararat, 
and  the  family  of  Noah..  Traits  of  this  description,  which  argue 
to  this  conclusion,  will,  in  the  course  of  this  work,  be  made  to  ap- 
f»ear  ;  which  to  such  as  believe  the  Bible,  will  afford  peculiar 
pleasure  and  surprise. 


ANTIQUITIES  OF  THE  WEST. 


There  are  no  parts  of  the  kingdoms  or  countries  of  the  old 
world,  but  have  celebrated  in  poetry  and  sober  history,  the  mighty 
relics  and  antiquities  of  ancient  empires,  as  Rome,  Babylon,  Greece, 
Egypt,  Hindostan,  Tartary,  Africa,  China,  Persia,  Europe,  Russia, 
and  many  of  the  islands  of  the  sea.  It  yet  remains  for  America  to 
awake  her  story  from  its  .oblivious  sleep,  and  tell  the  tale  of  her 
Antiquies — the  traits  of  nations,  coeval,  perhaps,  ^vith  the  eldest 
works  of  man  this  side  the  flood. 


^'  I 


'!    ! 


ifii'!^  f 


u 


30 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITJKS 


This  curious  subjeot,  although  it  is  obscurod  beneath  tbe  f;I(M)m 
of  past  ages,  of  which  but  small  reeord  remains  ;  bcsidi*  that  which 
is  written  in  the  dust,  in  the  form  of  mighty  mounds,  tumuli, 
strange  skeletons,  and  aboriginal  fortitirations ;  and,  in  some  few 
instances,  the  bodies  of  preserved  persons,  as  sometimes  found  in 
the  nitrous  caves  of  Kentucky,  and  the  west  ;  aflording  abundant 
premises  to  prompt  investigation  and  rational  conjecture.  The 
mounds  and  tumuli  of  the  west,  are  to  be  ranked  among  the  most 
wonderful  antiquities  of  the  world,  on  the  account  of  their  number, 
magnitude,  and  obscurity  of  origin. 

Respecting  an  account  of  several  of  those  mighty  works  of  the 
ancient  nations,  we  shall  proceed  to  extract,  from  the  writings  of  a 
celebrated  naturalist  and  observer  of  those  American  Antiquities, 
namely,  those  of  Mr.  Hine,  of  Cincinnati,  which  we  shall  interlard 
with  our  own  remarks  and  deductions  as  we  pass  on. 

This  writer  commences,  by  telling  us,  that  "  they  generally  are 
found  on  fertile  bottoms  and  near  the  rivers.  Several  hundreds 
have  been  discovered  along  the  valley  of  the  Mis.sissippi ;  the  larg- 
est of  which  stands  not  far  from  Wheeling,  on  the  Ohio.  This 
mound  is  fifty  rods  in  circumference,  and  ninety  feet  in  perpendi- 
cular height. 

This  is  found  filled  with  thousands  of  human  aj^letons,  and  was 
doutless  the  place  of  general  deposit  of  tlie  deadror  ages  ;  which 
must  have  been  contiguous  to  some  large  city,  where  the  dead  were 
placed  in  gradation,  one  layer  above  another,  till  it  reached  a  natu- 
ral climax,  agreeing  with  the  slope  commenced  at  its  base  or  foun- 
dation. 

It  is  not  credible  that  this  mound  was  made  by  the  progenitors 
of  the  modern  Indians  ;  its  magnitude,  and  the  vast  number  of  dead 
deposited  there,  denote  a  popuhilii.ii  too  great  to  have  been  support- 
ed by  mere  fishing  and  hiniting,  as  the  Aanner  of  those  Indians  has 
always  been.  A  population  sufficient  to  raise  such  a  mound  as  this, 
of  earth,  by  the  grad>ial  interment  of  deceased  inhabitants,  would 


AND  niscovr.niF.s  in  tiif.  west 


37 


norossarily  ho  tm)  I'lir  sprcnd,  to  mnko  it  convenient  for  the  livinf?  to 
trunsport  tljeir  dead  to  aiie  sinijle  pliu  .  of  repository.  The  modern 
'  i  Indians  have  ever  been  known,  since  the  uc(|uaintanoe  of  white  men 
witli  them,  to  live  only  in  small  towns;  wliirh  refutes  the  idea  of 
[  its  having  been  made  by  any  other  peoph;  than  sueh  as  difl'er  e?:- 
ccedinirly  from  the  improvident  and  indoU-nt  native  ;  and  must, 
therefore,  have  been  erected  by  a  people  more  ancient,  than  what 
is  commonly  meant  by  the  Indian  aborigines,  or  wandering  tribes. 

"  Some  of  these  mounds  hav;;  bf^en  opened,  when,  not  only  vast 
(piantities  of  human  bones  have  been  found,  but  also  instruments 
of  warfare,  broken  earthen  vases,  and  trinkets."  From  the  trees 
growing  on  them,  it  is  supposed  they  have  already  existed,  at  least, 
six  hundred  years,  and  whether  these  trees  were  the  ftrst,  second, 
or  third  crop,  who  can  tell ;  if  the  second  only,  which,  from  the  old 
and  decayed  timber,  partly  buried  in  the  vegetable  mould  and  leaves, 
seems  to  favor,  then  it  is  all  of  twelve  hundred  years  since  they 
were  abandoned. 

"  Foreign  travellers  complain  that  America  presents  nothing  like 
ruins  within  her  boundaries ;  no  ivy  mantled  towers,  nor  moss  cov- 
ered turrets,  as  in  the  other  quarters  of  the  earth.  Old  Fort  War- 
ren, on  the  Hudson,  rearing  its  lofty  decayed  sides  high  above  West- 
Point  ;  or  the  venerable  remains  of  two  wars,  at  Ticoiideioga,  upon 
Lake  Champlain,  they  say,  afford  something  of  the  kind.  But  what 
are  mouldering  castles,  falling  turrets,  or  crumbling  abbeys,  in  com- 
parison with  those  ancient  and  artificial  aboriginal  hills,  which  have 
outlived  generations,  and  even  all  tradition ;  the  workmanship  of 
altogether  unknown  hands. 

Place  these  monuments  and  .secret  repositories  of  the  dead,  to- 
gether with  the  innumerable  mounds  and  monstrous  fortifications, 
which  are  scattered  over  America,  in  England,  and  on  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  how  would  their  virtuosi  examine,  and  their  anti- 
quarians fill  volumes,  with  their  probable  histories.  How  would 
their  fame  be  conveyed  from  learned  bodies,  and  through  literary 


:j8 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


« 


volumes,  inquiring  who  wore  tlie  buildtM's,  of  what  age  of  the 
world,  whence  came  they,  and  tlieir  descendants ;  if  any,  what  has 
become  of  tlrcm;  these  would  be  the  themes  of  constant  ipt  ula- 
tion  and  inquiry. 

At  Marietta,  a  place  not  only  celebrated  as  being  the  first  settle- 
ment on  the  Ohio,  but  has  also  acquired  much  celebrity,  from  the 
existence  of  those  extensive  and  supposed  fortifications,  which  are 
situated  near  the  town.  They  consist  of  walls,  and  mounds  of 
earth,  running  in  strait  lines,  from  six  to  ten  feet  high,  and  nearly 
forty  broad  at  their  base.  There  is  also,  at  this  place,  one  fort  of 
this  ancient  description,  which  encloses  nearly  fifty  acres  of  land. 

There  are  openings  in  this  fortification,  which  are  supposed  to 
have  been,  when  thronged  with  its  own  busy  multitude,  "  used  as 
gateways,  with  a  passage  from  one  of  them,  formed  by  two  paral- 
lel walls  of  eaith,  leading  towards  the  river." 

This  contrivance  was  undoubtedly  for  a  defence  against  surprise 
by  an  enemy,  while  the  inhabitants  dwelling  within  should  fetch 
water  from  the  river,  or  descend  thither  to  wash,  as  in  the^  Ganges, 
among  the  Hindoos.  Also  the  greatness  of  this  fort  is  evidence, 
not  only  of  the  power  of  its  builders,  but  also  of  those  they  feared. 
Who  can  tell  but  they  may  have,  by  intestine  feuds  and  wars,  ex- 
terminated themselves.  Such  instances  are  not  unfrequent  among 
petty  tribes  of  the  earth.  Witness  the  war  between  Benjamin  and 
his  brother  tribes,  when  l)ut  a  mere  handful  of  their  number  re- 
mained to  redeem  llicm  from  complete  annihilation.  Many  nations, 
an  account  of  whom,  as  once  existing,  is  found  on  the  page  of  his- 
tory, now,  have  not  a  trace  left  beliind.  More  than  sixty  tribes 
which  once  traversed  the  woods  of  the  west,  and  who  were  known 
to  the  first  settlers  of  the  New-England  states,  are  now  extinct. 

"  The  French  of  the  Mississippi  have  an  account,  that  an  exter- 
minating battle  was  fought  in  the  beginning  of  the  17th  century, 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  years  ago,  on  the  ground  where 
Fort  Harrison  now  stands;  between  the  Indians  living  on  the  Mis- 


ANU    blSCOVKlUl^S    IN    TllK  Wll.ST. 


39 


,  age  of  tlie 
my,  what  has 
itant  ipt  ula- 

le  first  settle- 
rity,  from  the 
ms,  which  are 
lid  mounds  of 
yh,  and  nearly 
ce,  one  fort  of 
acres  of  land, 
e  supposed  to 
ude,  "  used  as 
by  two  paral- 

against  surprise 
n  should  fetch 
in  the,  Ganges, 
rt  is  evidence, 
)se  they  feared. 
3  and  wars,  ex- 
requent  among 
1  Benjamin  and 
eir  number  re- 
Many  nations, 
he  page  of  his- 
lan  sixty  tribes 
ho  were  known 
now  extinct, 
t,  that  an  exter- 
B  17th  century, 
ground  where 
•jng  on  the  Mis- 


sissippi, and  lliDse  of  the  Wabash.  The  Ijouc  of  coatcution  was, 
the  lands  lying  between  those  rivers,  whicli  both  parties  claimed. 
There  were  about  1000  warriors  on  each  side.  The  condition  of 
the  light  was,  that  the  victors;  should  possess  the  lands  in  dispute. 
The  grandeur  of  the  prize  was  pecniliarly  calculated  to  inflame  the 
ardor  of  savage  minds.  The  contest  commenced  about  sunrise. 
Both  parties  fought  desperately.  The  Wabash  warriors  came  oil' 
conquerors,  having  seven  men  left  alive  at  sunset,  and  their  adver- 
saries, the  Mississippians,  but  fwc.  This  battle  was  fought  near 
fifty  years  before  their  acquaintance  witb  white  men."  (Webster's 
Gazetteer,  1817,  page  69.) 

It  is  possible,  whoever  the  authors  of  these  great  works,  were, 
or  however  long  they  may  have  lived  on  the  continent,  that  they 
may  have,  in  the  same  way,  by  intestine  feuds  and  wars,  weakened 
themselves,  so  that  when  the  Tartars,  Scythians,  or  descendants  of 
the  ten  lost  tribes,  (as  is  now  generally  believed  the  Indians  are,) 
came  across  the  Straits  of  Bhering,  that  they  fell  an  easy  prey,  to 
those  fierce  and  savage  northern  hordes. 

It  is  not  likely,  that  the  vast  warlike  preparations  which  extend 
over  the  whole  continent,  south  of  certain  places  in  Canada,  were 
thrown  up,  all  of  a  sudden,  on  a  fust  discovery  of  a  strange  ene- 
my ;  for  it  might  be  inquired,  how  should  they  know  of  such  a 
mode  of  defence,  unless  they  had  acquired  it  in  the  course  of  ages, 
arising  from  necessity  or  caprice  ;  but  it  is  probable  they  were  con- 
structed to  defend  against  the  invasions  of  each  other ;  being  of  va- 
rious origin  and  separate  interests,  as  was  much  the  situation  of  the 
ancient  nations  in  every  part  of  the  world. 

Petty  tribes  of  the  same  origin,  over  the  whole  earth,  have  been 
found  to  wage  perpetual  war  against  each  other,  from  motives  of 
avarice,  jrower,  or  hatred.  In  the  most  ancient  eras  of  the  history 
of  man,  little  walled  towns,  which  were  raised  for  the  security  of 
a  few  families,  under  a  chief,  king,  or  patriarch,  are  known  to  have 
existed :  which  is  evidence  of  the  disjointed  and  uuharmonious 


40 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


State  of  human  society ;  out  of  which,  wars,  rapine,  a;id  plunder, 
have  arisen  :  such  may  have  been  the  state  of  man  in  America,  be- 
fore the  Indians  found  their  way  here ;  the  evidence  of  which  is, 
the  innumerable  fortifications,  found  every  where  in  the  western 
regions. 

"  Within  this  fort,  of  which  we  have  been  speaking,  found  at 
Marietta,  are  elevated  squares,  situated  at  the  corners ;  some  an 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  long,  by  an  liundrcd  and  thirty  broad,  nine 
feet  high,  and  level  on  the  top."  On  these  squares,  erected  at  the 
corners  of  this  great  enclosure,  were  doubtless  placed  some  mode 
of  annoyance  to  a  besieging  enemy ;  such  as  engines  to  sling  stones 
^vith,  or  to  throw  the  dart  and  spear,  or  whatever  might  have  been 
their  modes  of  defence. 

"  Outside  of  this  fort,  is  a  most  singular  mound,  differing  in  form 
from  their  general  configuration  :  its  shape  is  that  of  a  sugar  loaf, 
the  base  of  which  is  more  than  an  hundred  feet  in  circumference, 
its  height  thirty,  encompassed  by  a  ditch,  and  defended  by  a  para- 
pet, or  wall  beyond  the  ditch,  about  breast  high,  through  which  is 
a  way  toward  the  main  fort.  Human  bones  have  been  taken  from 
many  of  these  mounds,  and  charcoal,  Avith  fragments  of  pottery ;  and 
what  is  more  strange  than  all  the  rest,  in  one  place,  a  skeleton  of  a 
man,  buried  east  and  west,  after  the  manner  of  enlightened  nations 
was  found,  as  if  tiiey  understood  the  cardinal  points  of  the  com- 
pass. On  the  breast  of  (his  skeleton  was  found  a  quantity  of  ising- 
glass,"  a  substance  sometimes  used  by  the  ancient  Russians,  for  the 
purposes  that  glass  is  now  used.  But  respecting  this  fort  we  ima- 
gine, that  even  Romans  may  have  built  it,  however  strange  this 
may  appear.  The  reader  will  be  so  kind  as  to  have  patience  till 
we  have  advanced  all  our  reasons  for  this  strange  conjecture,  before 
he  casts  it  from  him. 

Our  reasons  for  this  idea,  arise  out  of  the  great  similarity  there 
is  between  its  form,  and  fortifications,  or  camps,  built  by  the  an- 
cient Romans.     And  in  order  to  show  the  similarity,  we  have  quo- 


AM)  DiSCOVKRIES    IN    THE    WEST. 


41 


iijid  plundef, 

America,  bc- 

of  which  is, 

I  the  western 

:iiig,  found  at 
ers ;  some  an 
ty  broad,  nine 
erected  at  the 
;d  some  mode 
to  sling  stones 
ight  have  been 

iffering  in  form 
if  a  sugar  loaf, 
circumference, 
ided  by  a  para- 
irough  which  is 
een  taken  from 
of  pottery;  and 
a  skeleton  of  a 
rhtened  nations 
its  of  the  com- 
iiantity  of  ising- 
lussians,  for  the 
his  fort  we  ima- 
ger strange  this 
ive  patience  till 
>njecture,  before 

similarity  there 
)uilt  by  the  an- 
V,  we  have  quo- 


ted the  account  of  the  forms  of  Roman  camps  from  Josephus's  de- 
scription of  their  military  works.  See  his  works.  Book  V.  ch'^p.5, 
page  219,  as  follows. 

"  Nor  can  tlieir  enemies  easily  surprise  them  with  the  suddenness 
of  their  incursions,  for  as  soon  as  they  have  marcbf  d  into  an  ene- 
my's land,  they  do  not  begin  to  light  till  they  have  walled  their 
camp,  about,  nor  is  the  fence  they  raise,  rashly  made,  or  uneven ; 
nor  do  they  all  abide  in  it ;  nor  do  those  that  are  in  it,  take  their 
place  at  random:  but  if  it  happens  uiat  the  ground  is  uneven,  it  is 
first  levelled." 

"  Their  camps  are  also  four  square  by  measure  ;  as  for  what  space 
is  within  the  camp,  it  is  set  apart  for  tents,  but  the  outward  circum- 
ference hath  the  resemblance  to  a  wall ;  and  is  adorned  with  towers 
at  equal  distances,  where,  between  the  towers  stand  the  engines  for 
throwing  arrows  and  darts,  and  for  slinging  stones,  and  where  they 
lay  all  other  engines  that  can  annoy  the  enemy,  all  ready  for  their 
several  operations. 

They  also  erect  four  gates,  one  in  the  middle  of  each  side  of  the 
circumference,  or  square,  and  those  large  enough  for  the  entrance 
of  beasts,  and  wide  enough  for  making  excursions,  if  occasion 
should  require.  They  divide  the  camp  within  into  streets,  very 
conveniently,  and  place  the  tents  of  the  commanders  in  the  middle ; 
in  the  very  midst  of  all,  is  the  general's  own  tent,  in  the  na- 
ture and  form  of  a  temple,  insomuch  tliat  it  appears  to  be  a  city, 
built  on  the  sudden,  with  its  market  place,  and  places  for  handi- 
craft trades,  and  with  seats  for  tlie  officers,  superior  and  inferior, 
where  if  any  differences  arise,  their  causes  are  heard  and  deter- 
mined. 

The  camp  and  all  that  is  in  it,  is  encompassed  with  a  wall  round 
about,  and  that  sooner  than  one  would  imagine,  and  this  by  the  mul- 
titude and  skill  of  the  labourers.  And  if  occasion  require,  a  trench 
is  drawn  round  the  whole,  whose  depth  is  four  cubits,  and  its  breadth 
equal,"  which  is  a  trille  more  tlian  six  feet  in  depth  and  width. 


42 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


The  similarity  between  the  Roman  camps  and  the  one  neaiMariet' 
ta,  consists  as  follows :  they  are  both  four  square  ;  the  one  standing 
near  the  great  fort,  and  is  connected  by  two  parallel  walls,  as  de- 
scribed ;  has  also  a  ditch  surrounding  it,  as  the  Romans  sometimes 
encircled  theirs ;  and  doubtless,  when  first  constructed,  had  a  fence 
of  timber,  (as  Josephus  says  the  Romans  had,)  all  round  it,  and  all 
other  forts  of  that  description  ;  but  time  has  destroyed  them. 

If  the  Roman  camp  had  its  elevated  squares  at  its  corners,  for 
the  purposes  of  overlooking  the  foe  and  of  shooting  stones,  darts, 
and  arro\\s  ;  so  had  the  fort  at  Marietta,  of  more  than  an  hundred 
feet  square,  on  an  average,  of  their  forms,  and  nine  feet  high.     Its 
parapets  and  gateways  are   similar;   also  the   probable  extent  of 
the  Roman  encampments,  agrees  well  Avith  the   one  at  Marietta, 
which  embracer  near  fifty  acres  within  its  enclosure  ;  a  space  suffi- 
cient to  have  contained  a  great  army ;    with  str-jets  and  elevated 
squares  at  its  corners,  like  the  Romans.   Dr.  Morse,  tli(;  geographer, 
says,  the  war  camps  of  the  ancient  Danes,  BelgiE,  and  Saxons,  as 
found  in  England,  were  universally  of  the  circular,  while  those  of 
the  Romans  in  the  same  country,  are  distinguished  by  the  square 
form ;  is  not  this,  therefore,  a  trait  of  the  same  people's  work  in 
America,  as  in  England .' 

Who  can  tell  but  during  tlie/o«r  hundred  years  the  Romans  had 
all  the  west  of  Europe  attached  to  their  empire,  but  they  may  have 
found  their  way  to  America,  as  well  as  other  nations,  the  Welch, 
and  the  Scandinavians,  in  after  ages,  as  we  shall  show,  before  we 
end  the  volume. 

Rome,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  mistress  of  the  known  world, 
as  they  supposed,  and  were  in  the  possession  of  the  arts  and  sci- 
ences ;  with  a  knowledge  of  navigation  suffit.i(uit  to  traverse  the 
oceans  of  the  globe,  even  without  (.he  compass,  by  means  of  the 
stars  by  night,  and  the  sun  by  day. 

The  history  of  England  informs  us,  that  us  early  as  fifty-five 
years  before  the  Christian  era,  the  Romans  invaded  the  island  of 


m 


AND   niRCOVF.RFF.S    IN   THE  WEST- 


43 


lear  Marie  (♦ 
ne  standing 
alls,  as  de- 

sometimes 
had  a  fence 
d  it,  and  all 
lem. 

coiners,  foi 

tones,  darts, 

an  hundred 

;t  high.     Its 

le  extent  of 

at  Marietta, 
a  space  suiB,- 
ind  elevated 
1^  geoorapher, 
id  Saxons,  at) 
ihik  those  of 
>y  the  square 
)l(i's  work  in 

Romans  had 
ley  may  have 
the  Welch, 
V,-,  before  we 

known  world, 
arts  and  sci- 
traverse  the 

means  of  the 

^  as  fifty-five 
the  islaud  of 


I 


?^rittaiiy,  and  that  tlu'ir  shij)';  were  so  large  and  heavy,  and  drew 
siK'li  a  depth  of  water,  that  their  soldiers  were  obliged  to  leap  into 
the  sea,  and  light  their  way  to  the  shore,  struggling  with  the  waves 
and  the  enemy,  both  at  once,  because  they  could  not  bring  their 
vessels  near  the  shore,  on  account  of  their  size. 

America  has  not  yet  been  peopled  from  Europe,  so  long  by  an 
hundred  years,  as  the  Romans  were  in  possession  of  the  Island  of 
Britain.  Now  what  has  not  America  elleeted  in  enterprise,  during 
this  time ;  and  although  her  advantages  are  superior  to  those  of  the 
Romans,  when  they  held  England  as  a  province,  yet,  we  are  not  to 
suppose  they  were  idle,  especially  when  their  character  at  that  time, 
was  a  martial  and  a  marilhm  one.  In  this  character,  therefore, 
were  they  not  exactly  fitted  to  make  discoveries  about  in  the  north- 
iernand  western  parts  of  the  Atlantic,  and  may,  therefore,  have  found 
America,  made  partial  settlements  in  various  places;  may  have 
•coasted  along  down  the  shores  of  this  country,  till  they  came  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  up  that  stream,  making  here 
and  there  a  settlement.  This  supposition  is  as  natural,  and  as  pos- 
sible, for  the  Romans  to  have  done,  as  that  Hudson  should  find  the 
iKonth  of  the  North  River,  and  explore  it  as  far  north  as  to  where 
the  city  of  Albany  is  now  standing. 

It  was  equally  in  their  power  to  have  found  this  coast  by  chance, 
«s  the  Scandinavians  in  the  year  1000  or  thereabouts,  who  made  a 
settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence ;  but  more  of  this  in 
due  time. 

To  show  the  Romans  did  actually  go  on  voyages  of  discovery, 
while  in  possession  of  Britain,  we  quote  from  the  history  of  Eng- 
land, that  when  Julius  Agricola  was  governor  of  South  Britain,  he 
sailed  quite  around  it,  and  ascertained  it  to  be  an  island. 

This  was  about  an  hundred  years  after  their  first  subduing  the 
country,  or  fifty-two  years  after  Christ. 

But  they  may  have  had  a  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  this 
country,  prior  to  their  invasion  of  Britain.     And  lest  the  reader 


44 


AMERICAN    ANTKiUITlK.M 


U^. 


may  be  alarmed  at  such  a  position,  wo  Iiasten  to  show  in  wha{ 
manner  they  might  have  attained  it,  by  relating  a  late  discovery  of 
a  planter  in  South  America 

"In  the  month  of  December,  1S27,  a  planter  discovered  in  a 
field,  a  short  distance  from  Mont-Video,  a  sort  of  tomh  stone,  upon 
which  strange,  and  to  him  unknown  signs,  or  characters,  were  en- 
graved. He  caused  this  stone,  which  covered  a  small  excavation, 
I'ormed  with  masonry,  to  be  raised,  in  which  he  found  two  exceed- 
ingly ancient  swords,  a  helmet,  and  shield,  which  had  suffered  much 
from  rusi.  also  an  earthen  vessel  of  large  capacity. 

The  plunter  caused  the  swords,  the  helmet,  and  earthen  amphora^ 
together  \nth  the  stone  slab,  which  covered  the  whole,  to  be  re- 
moved tci  Mont- Video,  where,  in  spite  of  the  ravages  of  time, 
Greek  words  were  easily  made  out ;  which,  when  translated,  read 
as  follows :  "  During  the  dominion  of  Alexandc-  the  son  of  Philip, 
King  of  Macedon,  in  the  sixty-third  Olympiad,  Ptolemais," — it  was 
impossible  to  decipher  the  rest,  on  account  of  the  ravages  of  time, 
on  the  engraving  of  the  stone. 

On  the  handle  of  one  of  the  swords,  was  the  portrait  of  a  man, 
supposed  to  be  Alexander  the  Great.  On  the  helmet  there  is  sculp- 
tured work,  that  miist  have  been  executed  by  the  most  exquisite 
skill,  representing  Achilles  dragging  the  corpse  of  Hector  round  the 
ivalls  of  Troy  ;  an  account  of  which  is  familiar  to  every  classic 
scholar. 

This  discovery  was  similar  to  the  Fabula  Hieca,  the  bass  relief 
stucco,  found  in  the  ruins  of  the  Via  Appia,  at  Fratachio,  in  Spain, 
belonging  to  the  Princess  of  Colona,  which  represented  all  the  prin- 
cipal scenes  in  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey. 

From  this  it  is  quite  clear,  says  the  editor  of  the  Cabinet  of  In- 
struction and  Literature,  from  which  we  have  extracted  this  ac- 
count, vol.  3,  page  99,  that  the  discovery  of  this  monumental  altar 
is  proof  that  a  cotemporary  of  Aristotle,  one  of  the  Greek  philoso- 
phess,  has  dug  up  the  soil  of  Brazil  and  La  Plata,  in  South  America. 


# 


ANU    niSCOVERIKS    IN    THE  WKS'I 


45 


w  in  wliai 
liscovery  of 

vered  in  a 
stone^  upon 
s,  were  en- 
excavation, 
two  exceed- 
iffered  much 

en  amphora, 
le,  to  be  re- 
res  of  time, 
inslated,  read 
)n  of  Philip, 
ais," — it  was 
ages  of  time, 

lit  of  a  man, 
here  is  sculp- 
lost  exquisite 
:tor  round  the 
every  classic 

he  bass  relief 
hio,  in  Spain, 
d  all  the  prin- 

Dabinet  of  In- 
aoted  this  ac- 
numental  altar 
Greek  philoso- 
louth  America. 


It  is  conjectiired  that  this  Ploknmios,  iiientiuned  on  the  stone, 
was  the  commander  of  Alexander's  fleet,  which  is  supposed  to  have 
been  overtaken  by  a  storm  at  sea,  in  the  great  ocean,  (the  Atlan- 
tic ;)  as  the  ancients  called  it,  and  were  driven  on  to  the  coast  of 
Brazil,  or  the  South  American  coast,  where  they  doubtless  erected 
the  above  mentioned  monument,  to  preserve  the  memory  of  the 
voyage  to  so  distant  a  country  ;"  and  that  it  might  not  be  lost  to 
the  world,  if  any  in  after  ages  might  chance  to  find  it,  as  at  Ijst  it 
was  permitted  to  be  in  the  progress  of  events. 

The  above  conjecture,  however,  that  Ptolemaios,  a  name  found 
engraved  on  the  stone  slab  which  covered  the  mason  work  as  be- 
fore mentioned  ;  was  one  of  Alexander's  admirals,  is  not  well 
founded,  as  there  is  no  mention  of  such  an  admiral  in  the  employ  of 
that  emperor,  found  on  the  page  of  the  history  of  those  times. 

But  the  names  of  Nearchus  and  Onesicritus,  are  mentioned 
as  being  admirals  of  the  fleets  of  Alexander  the  Great  ;  and  the 
name  of  Pytheas,  who  lived  at  the  same  time,  is  mentioned  as  be- 
ing a  Greek  philosopher,  geographer,  and  astronomer,  as  well  as 
a  voyager,  if  not  an  admiral,  as  he  made  several  voyages  into  the 
great  Atlantic  ocean  ;  which  are  mentioned  by  Eratosthenes,  a  Greek 
philosopher,  mathematician  and  historian,  who  flourished  two  hun- 
dred years  before  Christ- 

Strabo,  a  celebrated  geographer  and  voyager,  who  lived  about 
the  time  of  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era,  speaks  of  the 
voyages  of  Pytheas,  by  way  of  admission ;  and  says,  that  his  know- 
ledge of  Spain,  Gaul,  Germany,  and  Britain,  and  all  the  countries 
of  the  north  of  Europe,  was  extremely  limited.  He  had  indeed 
voyaged  along  the  coasts  of  these  countries,  but  had  obtained  but 
an  indistinct  knowledge  of  their  relative  situations. 

During  the  adventures  of  this  man  at  sea,  for  the  very  purpose  of 
ascertaining  the  geography  of  the  earth,  by  tracing  the  coasts  of 
countries,  there  was  a  great  liability  of  his  being  driven  off  in  a 
western  direction,  not  only  by  the  current  which  sets  always  to- 


46 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


,;i'!i 


wards  America,  hut  also  by  tlio  trade  wiiuh,  Avhich  blow  in  the 
same  direction  for  several  months  in  the  year. 

Pytheas,  therefore,  with  his  fleet,  it  is  most  probable,  either  by 
design,  or  storms,  is  the  man  who  was  driven  on  to  the  American 
coast,  and  caused  this  subterranean  monument  of  masonry  to  be 
erected.  The  Plokmuios,  or  Ptolemy^  mentioned  on  the  stone,  may 
refer  to  one  of  the  four  generals  of  Alexander,  called  sometimes 
Ptolemy  Lagus,  or  Soler.  This  is  the  man  who  had  Egypt  for  his 
share  of  the  conquests  of  Alexander ;  and  it  is  likely  the  mention  of 
his  name  on  the  stone,  in  connexion  with  that  of  Alexander,  was 
caused  either  by  his  presence  at  the  time  the  stone  was  prepared, 
Or  because  he  patronised  the  voyages  and  geographical  researches 
of  the  philosopher  and  navigator  Pytheas. 

Alexander  the  Great  flourished  about  three  hundred  years  before 
Christ ;  he  was  a  Grecian,  the  origin  of  whose  nation  is  said  to  have 
been  Japetus,  a  descendant  of  Japheth,  one  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  as 
before  shown. 

Let  it  be  observed  the  kingdom  of  Macedon,  of  which  Alexan- 
der was  the  last,  as  well  as  the  greatest  of  its  kings,  commenced 
eight  hundred  and  fourteen  years  before  Christ,  which  was  sixty- 
one  years  earlier  than  the  commencement  of  the  Romans. 

Well,  what  is  to  be  learned  from  all  this  story  about  the  Cheeks, 
tespecting  any  knowledge  in  possession  of  the  Romans  about  a  con- 
tinent ivest  of  Europe  I  Simply  this,  which  is  quite  suflicient  for 
our  purpose :  That  an  account  of  this  voyage,  whether  it  was  an 
accidental  one,  or  a  voyage  of  discovery,  could  not  but  be  known  to 
the  Romans,  as  well  as  to  the  Greeks,  and  entered  on  the  records 
of  the  nation  on  their  return.  But  where  then  is  tlie  record  ?  We 
must  go  to  the  flames  of  the  Gk»ths  and  Vandals,  who  overran  the 
Roman  empire,  in  which  the  discoveries,  both  of  countries  and  the 
histories  of  antiquity,  were  destroyed  ;  casting  over  those  countries 
which  they  subdued,  the  gloom  of  barbarous  ignorance,  congenial 
with  the  shades  of  the  dreadful  forests  of  the  north,  from  whence 


ai 
ej 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST 


47 


ow  in 


Ihc 


either  by 

American 
)nry  to  be 
stone,  may 

sometimes 
rypi  for  his 
!  mention  of 
tander,  was 
as  prepared, 
I  researches 

years  before 
i  said  to  have 
s  of  Noah,  as 

hich  Alexan- 
,  commenced 
ch  was  sixty- 
lans. 

it  the  Greeks, 
i  about  ft  con- 
sufficient  for 
her  it  was  an 
It  be  knovon  to 
on  the  records 
e  record  ?  We 
10  overran  the 
intries  and  the 
those  countries 
tice,  congenial 
,  from  whence 


thoy  originated.  On  which  account,  countries,  and  the  know- 
ledge of  many  arts,  anciently  known,  were  to  be  discovered  over 
again,  and  among  them,  it  is  oelicv-ed,  was  America. 

When  Columbus  discovered  this  country,  and  had  returned  to 
Spain,  how  soon  it  was  known  to  all  Europe.  The  same  we  may 
suppose  of  the  discovery  of  the  same  country  by  the  Greeks,  though 
with  infinite  less  publicity  ;  because  the  world  at  that  time  had  not 
the  advantage  of  printing ;  yet  in  some  degree  the  discovery  must 
have  been  known,  especially  among  the  great  men  of  both  Greeks 
and  Romans. 

The  Grecian  or  Macedonian  kingdom,  after  the  death  of  Alexan- 
der, maintained  its  existence  but  a  short  time,  one  hundred  and 
forty-four  years  only  ;  when  the  Romans  defeated  Perseus,  which 
ended  the  Macedonian  kingdom,  one  hundred  and  sixty -eight  years 
before  Christ. 

At  this  time  the  Romans,  and  thereafter,  held  on  their  course  of 
war  and  conquest,  till  four  hiuidred  and  ten  years  after  Christ ; — 
amounting  in  all,  from  their  beginning,  till  Rome  was  taken  and 
plundered  by  Alaric,  king  of  the  Visigoths,  to  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  sixty-three  years. 

Is  it  to  be  supposed  the  Romans,  a  warlike,  enlightened,  and  en- 
terprising peo2)le,  who  had  found  their  way  by  sea  so  far  north 
from  Rome  as  to  the  island  of  England,  and  actually  sailed  all  round 
it,  would  not  explore  farther  north  and  west,  especially  as  they  had 
some  hundred  years  opportunity,  while  in  possession  of  the  norfli  of 
Europe. 

Morse,  the  geographer,  in  his  second  volume,  page  126,  says, — '■ 
Ireland,  which  is  situated  west  of  England,  was  probably  discover- 
ed by  the  Phoenicians  ;  the  era  of  whose  voyages  and  maritime  ex- 
ploits, commenced  more  than  fourteen  hundred  years  before  Christ, 
and  continued  several  ages.  Their  country  was  situated  at  the 
east  end  of  the  Mediterranean  sea  ;  so  that  a  voyage  to  tlie 
Atlantic,  tluougli  the  strait   of  Gibraltcr  west,  would  be  a  dig- 


48 


AMKRM;.\.N    ANTIHlifTIKS 


ffl 


I 


tanee  of  about  2,.'J00  miles,  and  from  (jibraltcr  (o  Ireliiad,  a  voyage 
of  about  1,400  miles;  wiiich,  in  the  whole  amount,  is  nearly  four 
thousand. 

Ireland  is  fartlier  north  by  about  five  degrees,  than  Newfound- 
land, and  the  latter  only  about  1,800  miles  southwest  from  Ireland  ; 
so  that  while  the  Pha-nisians  were  coasting  and  voyaging  about  in 
the  Atlantic,  in  so  high  a  northern  latitude  as  Ireland  and  Eng- 
land, may  well  be  supposed  to  have  discovered  Newfoundland, 
(either  by  being  lost  or  driven  there  by  storm)  which  is  very  near 
the  coast  of  America.  Phoenician  letters  are  said  to  be  engraved  on 
some  rocks  on  Taunton  river,  near  the  sea,  in  Massachusetts  ;  if  so, 
this  is  proof  of  the  position. 

Some  hundreds  of  years  after  the  first  historical  notice  of  the 
Phoenician  voyages,  and  two  hundred  years  before  tl'j  birth  of 
Christ,  the  Greeks,  it  is  said,  became  acquainted  Avith  Ireland,  and 
was  known  among  them  by  the  name  of  Juverna.  Ptolemy,  the 
Egyptian  geographer,  Avho  flourished  about  an  hundred  years  after 
Christ,  has  given  a  map  of  that  island,  which  is  said  to  be  very 
cor  rect. — Morse. 

Here  we  have  satis factoiy  historical  evidence,  that  Ireland,  a* 
well,  of  course,  as  all  the  coast  of  northern  Europe,  with  the  very 
islands  adjacent,  were  known,  first  to  the  Phoenicians,  second,  to  the 
Greeks — third,  to  the  Romans — and  fourth,  to  the  Egyptians — in 
those  early  ages,  from  which  arises  a  great  probability  that  Ameri- 
ca may  have  been  well  known  to  the  ancient  nations  of  the  old 
world.  On  which  account  when  the  Itomans  had  extended  their 
conquests  so  far  north  as  nearly  to  old  Norway,  in  latitude  60  deg. 
over  the  greater  part  of  Europe — they  were  well  prepared  to  ex- 
plore the  North  Anlantic,  in  a  western  direction,  in  [quest  of  new 
countries  ;  having  already  sufficient  data  to  believe  western  coun- 
tries existed. 

It  is  not  impossible  the  Danes,  Norwegians,  and  Welsh,  may 
have  at  first  obtained  some  knowledge  of  western  lands,  islands  and 


■f 


li 


ANr)  urscovERiF.s  in  thi;  ui;st. 


49 


id,  a  V(»Yiigc 
I  nearly  four 

I  Newfound- 
(nn  Ireland ; 
^ng  about  in 
id  and  Eng- 
iwibundland, 
1  is  very  near 
3  engraved  on 
lusetts ;  if  so, 

notice  of  the 
tl' J  birth  of 

1  Ireland,  and 
Ptolemy,  the 

ed  years  after 

id  to  be  very 

at  Ireland,  a» 
with  the  very 
second,  to  the 
Egyptians — in 
r  that  Araeri- 
ons  of  the  old 
extended  their 
ititude  60  deg. 
•epared  to  ex- 
[quest  of  new 
western  coim- 

1  Welsh,  may 
ids,  islands  and 


territories,  from  the  discovorics  of  the  Iloinaiis,  or  from  their  opin- 
ions, and  handed  down  the  story,  till  the  Scandhiaviaiis  or  Norwe- 
gians discovered  Iceland,  (Greenland,  and  America,  many  hundred 
years  before  the  time  of  Columbus. 

But,  however  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  those  nations  of  the  north 
of  Europe,  did  visit  this  country,  as  we  have  promised  to  show  in 
its  proper  place.  Would  Columbus  have  made  his  attempt,  if  he 
had  not  believed,  or  conjectured,  there  tvas  a  western  conti- 
nent; or  by  some  means  obtained  hints  respecting  it,  or  the  proba- 
bility of  its  existence.  It  is  said  Columbus  found,  at  a  certain 
time,  the  corpses  of  two  men,  of  a  tawny  complexion,  floating  in 
the  sea,  near  the  coast  of  Spain,  mIucIi  he  knew  were  not  of  Eu- 
ropean orii^in  ;  but  had  been  J.riven  by  the  sea  from  some  unknown 
western  country,  also  timber  and  branches  of  trees,  all  of  which 
confirmed  him  in  his  opinion  of  the  existence  of  other  countries 
westward. 

If  the  Romans  may  have  found  this  country,  they  may  also  have 
attempted  its  colonization,  as  tlie  immense  square  forts  of  the  west, 
would  seem  to  sug^^est. 

In  1821,  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Desperes,  in  Missouri,  was 
found,  by  an  Indian,  a  Roman  Coin,  and  presented  to  Grovemor 
Clark. — Gazetteer  of  Missouri,  page  312. 

This  is  no  more  singular  than  the  discovery  of  a  Persian  coin 
near  a  spring,  on  the  Ohio,  some  feet  under  ground  ;  as  we  have 
shown  in  another  place  of  this  work  ;  all  of  which  go  to  encourage 
the  conjecture  respecting  the  presence  of  the  ancient  Romans  in 
America. 

"  The  remains  of  former  dwellings,  found  along  the  Ohio, 
where  the  stream  has,  in  many  places,  washed  away  its  banks, 
liearths  and  fire  places  are  brought  to  light,  from  two  to  six  feet 
deep  below  the  surface. 

Near  these  remains  are  found  immense  quantities  of  muscle  shells 
and  bones  of  animals.  From  the  depths  of  many  of  these  remnants 
of  chimnics,  and  from  the  fact  that  trees  as  large  as  any  in  the  sur- 

7 


50 


A.MKRICAN    ANTIQl  ITIKS 


rounding  forest,  wcrti  foiiiid  jfrowiiio  on  the  yio'ii'd  above  those  tiKv." 
plaet's,  at  the  time  the  country  was  (ust  settled  by  its  present  inha- 
bitants," the  conclusion  is  drawn  that  a  \(Ty  loii^  peiiod  haw  eliips^ 
cd  since  these  subterrnneous  remnants  of  the  dwellings  of  man  were 
deserted. 

Hearths  and  fire  pldccs  :  Are  not  these  evidences  that  biiildin<!,s 
once  towered  above  the  in  ;  if  not  such  as  now  accommodate  the 
millions  of  Anu:rica,  yet  they  may  have  been  such  as  the  ancient 
Britons  used  at  the  time  the  Ilomans  fust  invaded  their  country. 

These  Aveio  formed  of  logs  set  uj)  endwise,  drawn  in  at  thf 
top,  so  that  the  smoke  mi^lit  pass  up,  at  an  aperture  left  open  at  tlie 
summit.  Thoy  were  not  stpiare  on  the  ground,  as  houses  are  now 
built,  but  set  in  a  circle,  one  log  against  the  other,  with  the  hearth 
and  fire  place  in  the  centre.  At  the  opening  in  the  top,  where  the 
smoke  went  out,  the  light  came  in,  as  no  other  window  was  then 
used.  There  are  still  remaining,  in  several  parts  of  England,  the 
vestiges  of  large  .sloiic  buildings  made  in  this  way,  i.  e.  in  a  circle. 
— Datid  Blalr''s  Hint,  of  JJii gland.,  /hkjc  S. 

"  At  Cincinnati  there  arc  two  Museums,  one  of  v. Inch  contains 
a  great  variety  of  western  anliq\ilties,  many  skulb  of  Indians, 
and  more  than  an  hundred  remain;;  of  what  has  boon  dug  f)ut  of  the 
aboriginal  mounds.  The  most  sitrajige  and  curious  of  all,  is  a  cup, 
made  of  clay,  with  three  facca  on  tlu;  sides  of  the  cup,  each  pre- 
senting regular  features  of  a  man,  and  beautifully  delineated.  It  is 
the  same  represented  on  the  plate.     See  letter  E. 

<'  A  great  deal  has  been  said,  and  not  a  little  written,  by  anticjua 
rians  about  this  cup.      It  was  found  in  one  of  those  mysterious 
mounds,  and  is  known  by  the  name  of  the   Triune  cup  ;  and  there 
are  those  who  thinlc  the  makers  of  it  liad  an  allusion  to  the  Trinity 
of  the  Godhead.     Hence  ifi  name,  "  Trimie  cup." 

In  this  neighbourhood,  the  Yellow  Springs,  a  da}  's  ride  below 
Cincinnati,  stands  one  of  those  singular  mounds.  It  was  evening, 
says  Mr.  Hiue,  "  when  1  walked  out,  lingering,  in  siknt  musiugs, 


liidsc  imi 

eut  iuha- 

lilH  oliiptr- 

iian  wen.' 

I)\iildiiif!,s 

{. 

\()date  the 

le  ancient 

ountry- 

in  at  the 

pea  at  the 

s  are  now 

the  hcurlh 

where  the 

•  was  then 

5>;lan{l,  the 

n  a  circle. 

h  contains 

(f  Indians, 

out  of  the 

1,  is  a  cup, 

,  each  pre- 

tcd.     It  is 

jy  anti(iua 

.'i 

nysterious 
;  and  there 
the  Trinity 

lide  helow 
as  evening, 
nt  musings, 


AND   niSCOVKRlKs    IN   TUF.  WF.sT  51 

arntnwl  lU  grorn  roverod  sloping  si(h's.  Whenever  I  view  thoso 
niO't  singular  objects  of  niriosity  and  renniins  of  arts,  a  thousand 
int|uint's  spring  up  in  my  mind.  'I'liey  have  ex-ited  (he  wonder 
of  all  wlio  have  seen  or  heard  of  them.  Who  were  those  ancit-nls 
of  the  west,  and  when,  and  for  ii'hnl  purposi;,  these  mounds  were 
constructed,  are  (piestions  which  to  this  day  remain  unanswered, 
and  have  hatlled  the  researches  of  the  most  inrpiisitive  antiquarians. 
Abundant  evidence,  however,  can  be  j)rociin'd,  that  they  are  not  of 
Indian  origin." 

With  this  sentiment  th.^re  is  a  (jf-nernl  acquescence  ;  however  we 
tliink  it  proper,  in  this  place,  to  quote  Dr.  Heck's  remarks  on  this 
point,  from  his  (Jazettteer  of  the  States  of  Illinois  and  Missouriy 
see  page  SOS  :  "  Ancient  works  exist  on  this  river,  the  Arkan- 
.sas,  as  elsewhere.  The  remains  of  mounds  and  fortifications  are 
almost  every  where  to  be  seen.  One  of  the  largest  mounds  in  this 
country  has  been  thrown  up  on  this  .stream,  (the  Wabash,)  within 
the  last  thirty  or  forty  years,  by  Osages,  near  the  great  Osage  viU 
lage,  in  honour  of  one  of  their  deceased  cliiefs.  This  fact  proves 
conclusively,  the  original  object  of  these  mounds,  and  refutes  the 
theory  that  tliey  must  necessarily  have  been  erected  by  a  race  of 
men  more  civilized  than  the  present  tribes  of  Indians.  Were  it  ne- 
cessary, (says  Dr.  Beck,)  nemerous  other  facts  might  be  adduced 
to  prove  tliat  the  mounds  are  no  other  than  the  tonibs  of  their  great 
men." 

That  this  is  one  of  their  uses,  there  is  no  doubt,  but  not  their  exclu- 
sivs  one.  The  vast  height  of  some  of  them,  which  is  more  than  an 
hundred  feet,  would  seem  to  point  them  ;u{  as  places  of  look-out, 
which,  if  the  country,  in  the  days  when  their  builders  flourished, 
was  cleared  and  cultivated,  would  overlook  the  country  to  a  great 
distance  ;  and  if  it  were  not,  still  their  towering  summits  would 
surmount  even  the  interference  of  the  forest. 

But  although  the  Osage  Indians  have  so  recently  thrown  up  one 
such  mound,  yet  this  does  not  prove  them  to  be  of  American  Indian 


52 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


4J.- 


origin  ;  and  as  this  is  an  isolated  case,  would  rather  argue  that  tlic 
Osage  tribe  have  originally  descended  from  their  more  ancient  pro- 
genitors, the  inhabitants  of  this  country,  prior  to  the  intrusions  of 
the  late  Indians  from  Asia. 

Before  we  close  this  work,  ^ve  shall  attempt  to  make  this  appear 
from  their  own  traditions,  which  have  of  late  been  procured  from 
the  most  ancient  of  their  tribes,  the  Wyandots,  as  handed  down  for 
hundreds  of  years. 

The  very  form  and  charactc.'r  which  Dr.  Beck  has  given  the 
Osage  Indians,  argues  them  of  a  superior  stock,  or  rather  a  differnat 
race  of  men  ;  as  follows :  "  In  per.son,  the  Osages  are  among  the 
largest  and  best  formed  Indians,  and  are  said  to  possess  fine  military 
capacities  ;  but  residing,  as  they  do,  in  villages,  and  having  made 
considerable  advances  in  agriculture,  they  seem  less  addicted  to  war 
than  their  northern  neighbours."  This  last  remark  he  has  quoted 
from  the  Travels  of  LevvIs  and  Clark." 

The  whole  of  this  character  given  of  the  Osage  Indians,  their 
miliiarg  taste,  their  agricultural  genius,  their  noble  and  command* 
ing  forms  of  person,  and  being  less  "  addicted  to  war,"  shows  them, 
it  would  seem,  exclusively  of  other  origin  than  that  of  the  common 
Indians. 

It  is  supposed  the  inhabitants  who  found  their  way  first  to  this 
country,  after  its  division,  in  the  days  oi  Peleg,  and  were  here  long 
before  the  modern  Indians,  came  vot  by  the  way  of  Behring's  strait 
from  Kamscatka,  in  Asia,  but  directly  from  China,  across  the  Paci- 
fic, to  the  western  coast  of  America,  by  means  of  Islands  which 
abounded  anciently  in  that  ocean  between  Chinese  Tart:*ry,  China, 
and  South  Vmerica,  even  more  than  at  present,  which  are,  how- 
ever, now  very  numerous ;  and  also  by  the  means  of  boats,  of  which 
all  mankind  have  always  had  a  knowledge.  In  this  way,  vdthout 
any  difficulty,  more  than  is  common,  they  could  have  found  their 
way  to  this,  as  mankind  have  to  every  part  of  the  earth. 


AND    DISCOVr.RIES    IN    THE  WEST. 


63 


3  that  the 
eient  pro- 
fusions of 

lis  appear 
ured  from 
I  down  for 

given  the 
a  diiTernat 
among  the 
ne  military 
iving  made 
;ted  to  war 
has  quoted 

lians,  their 
command- 
hows  them, 
iie  common 

first  to  this 
e  here  long 
ring's  strait 
ss  the  Paci- 
ands  which 
::»ry,  China, 
»  are,  how- 
ls, of  which 
ay,  without 
found  their 


We  do  not  recollect  as  any  of  those  jtecullar  monuments  of  anti- 
quity appear  north  of  the  United  States  :  Mackenzie  in  his  over- 
land journey  to  the  Pacific,  travelling  north-west  from  Montreal  in 
Canada,  does  not  mention  a  single  vestage  of  the  kind,  nor  does 
Caver.  If  then,  there  are  none  of  these  peculiar  kinds,  such  a» 
mounds  aad  forts  farther  north  than  about  the  latitude  of  Montreal, 
it  would  appear  from  this,  that  the  first  authors  of  these  works,  es- 
pecially of  the  mounds  and  tumuli,  migrated,  not  from  Asia,  by 
way  of  Behring's  straight,  but  from  Europe,  east — China,  west— 
and  from  Africa,  south — continents  now  separated,  then  touching 
each  other,  with  islands  innumerable,  affording  the  means. 

If  this  supposition,  namely,  that  the  continents  in  the  first  age, 
immediately  after  the  flood,  were  united,  or  closely  connected  by 
groupes  of  islands,  is  not  allowed,  how  then,  it  might  be  inquired, 
came  every  island,  yet  discovered,  of  any  size,  having  the  natural 
means  of  human  subsistence,  in  either  of  the  seas,  to  be  found  in- 
habited. 

In  the  very  way  this  can  be  answered,  the  question  relative  to 
the  means  by  which  South  America  was  first  peopled,  can  also  be 
answered,  namely ;  the  continents,  as  intimated  on  the  first  pages 
of  this  work,  as  quoted  from  Dr.  Clark,  were,  at  first,  that  is,  im- 
mediately after  the  Hood,  till  the  division  of  the  earth,  in  the  days 
of  Peleg,  connected  together,  so  that  mankind,  with  all  kinds  of 
animals  might  pass  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  suited  to  their  na- 
tures. If  such  were  not  the  fact,  it  might  be  inquired,  how  then 
did  the  several  kinds  of  animals  get  to  every  part  of  the  earth  from 
the  Ark.  They  could  not,  as  man,  make  use  of  the  boat,  or  ves- 
sel, nor  swim  such  distances. 

"  From  Dr.  Clark's  travels,  it  appears,  ancient  works  exist  to 
this  day,  in  some  parts  of  Asia,  similar  to  those  of  North  America. 
His  description  of  them,  reads  as  though  he  were  contemplating 
some  of  these  western  mounds."  The  Russians  call  these  sepul- 
chres logri,  and  vast  numbers  of  them  have  been  discovered  in  Si- 


54 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITrKS 


i    I 


berio  and  the  deserts  bordering  on  the  empire  to  the  soiitli.  ttis- 
torians  mention  those  tumuli,  with  many  particulars.  In  them  were 
found  vessels,  ornaments,  trinkets,  medals,  arrows,  and  other  arti- 
ties ;  some  of  copper,  and  even  gold  and  silver,  mingled  with  the 
ashes  and  remains  of  dead  bodies. 

When  and  by  whom  these  burying  places  of  Siberia,  and  of  Tar- 
tary,  more  ancient  than  the  Tartars  themselves,  were  used,  is  like- 
wise uncertain.  The  situation,  construction,  appearance,  and  gene- 
ral contents  of  these  Asiatic  tumuli,  and  the  American  mounds,  are 
so  nearly  alike,  that  there  can  be  no  hesitation  in  ascribing  them  to 
the  same  races,  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America ;"  and  also 
to  the  same  ages  of  time,  or  nearly  so,  which  we  suppose  was  very 
soon  after  the  flood ;  a  knowledge  of  mound  building  was  then 
among  men,  as  we  see  in  the  authors  of  Babel. 

"The  Triune  Cup,  (see  plate — letter,  E.)  deposited  in  one  of 
the  museums  at  Cincinnati,  aflbrds  .some  probable  evidence,  that  a 
part  at  least,  of  the  great  mass  of  human  population,  once  inhabit- 
ing in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  were  of  Hindo  origin.  It  is 
an  earthen  vessel,  perfectly  round,  and  will  hold  a  quart,  having 
three  distinct  faces,  or  heads,  joined  together  at  the  back  part  of 
each,  by  a  handle. 

The  faces  of  these  figures  strongly  resemble  the  Hindoo  coimte- 
nance,  which  is  here  well  executed.  Now,  it  is  well  known,  that 
in  the  mythology  of  India,  three  chief  gods  constitute  the  acknow- 
ledged belief  of  thatpepole,  named,  Brahma,  Visiinoo,  and  Siva  : 
May  not  this  cup  be  a  symbolical  representation  of  that  belief,  and 
may  it  not  have  been  used  for  some  sacred  purpose,  here,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  this  country,  as  in  Asia,  the  mounds  are  seen  at  the  junction 
of  many  of  the  rivers,  as  along  the  Mississippi,  on  the  most  eligible 
positions  for  towns,  and  in  the  richest  lands ;  and  the  day  may  have 
been,  when  those  great  rivers,  the  Mississippi,  the  Ohio,  the  Illi- 
nois, and  the  Muskingum,  beheld  along  their  sacred  banks,  count- 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IiN    THE  WEST- 


55 


L»  south.      Hls- 

In  them  were 

and  other  arti* 

itigled  with  the 

ria,  and  of  Tar- 
re  used,  is  like- 
ance,  and  gene- 
ral! mounds,  are 
scribing  them  to 
rica ;"  and  also 
appose  was  very 
ilding  was  then 

posited  in  one  of 
evidence,  that  a 
n,  once  inhabit- 
lo  origin.  It  is 
a  quart,  having 
he  back  part  of 

Hindoo  counte- 
vcU  known,  that 
ute  the  acknow- 
Noo,  and  Siva  : 
that  belief,  and 
>se,  here,  iii  the 

\  at  the  junction 
the  most  eligible 
le  day  may  have 
e  Ohio,  the  Till- 
ed banks,  count- 


less devotees  assembled  for  religious  rites,  such  as  now  crowd  in  su- 
perstitious ceremonies,  the  devoted  and  consecrated  borders  of  the 
Indus,  the  Ganges,  and  the  Burrampooter. 

Mounds  in  the  west  are  very  numerous,  amounting  to  several 
thousands,  none  less  than  twenty  feet  high,  and  some  over  one  hun- 
dred. One  opposite  St.  Louis  measures  eight  hundred  yards  in 
circumference  at  its  base,  which  is  fifty  rods. 

Sometimes  they  stand  in  groups,  and  with  their  circular  shapes, 
at  a  distance,  look  like  enormous  hay  stacks,  scattered  through  a 
meadow.  From  their  great  number,  and  occasional  stupendous 
size,  years,  and  the  labours  of  tens  of  thousands,  must  have  been 
required  to  finish  them. 

Were  it  not,  indeed,  for  their  contents,  and  design  manifested  in 
fh"ir  erection,  they  would  hardly  be  looked  upon  as  the  work  of 
i;!'f;:  'xurds.  In  this  view,  they  strike  the  traveller  with  the  same 
astt  ii^!  • '.-at  as  would  be  felt  while  beholding  those  oldest  monu- 
ments of  worldly  art  and  industry,  the  Egyptian  pyramids,  and  like 
them ,  the  mounds  have  their  origin  iu  the  dark  night  of  doubt  and 
oblivion. 

Whether  or  not  these  mounds  were  used  at  some  former  pe- 
riod, as  "  high  places"  for  purposes  of  religion,  or  fortifications,  or 
for  national  burying  places,  each  of  which  theories  has  found  ad- 
vocates, one  inference,  however,  amidst  all  this  gloom  and  ignorance 
that  surround  them,  remains  certain :  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  was 
inhabited  at  one  time,  by  an  iuunense  agricultural  population. 

We  can  see  their  vast  funeral  vaults,  enter  into  their  graves  and 
look  at  their  dry  bones ;  but  no  passage  of  history  tells  their  tale  of 
life ;  no  spirit  comes  forth  from  their  ancient  sepulchres,  to  an- 
swer the  inquiries  of  the  living. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  Backenridge,  in  his  interesting  tra- 
vels through  these  regions,  calcillates  that  no  less  than  fwe  thousand 
villages  of  this  forgotten  people  existed ;  and  that  their  largest  city 
\vas  situated  bclwccu  the  Alississippi  und  JMissouri,  not  far  from  the 


66 


AMERICAN    ANTJQUITIKS 


h^ 


junction  of  those  rivers,  near  St.  Louis.  In  this  rej^ion,  the  migh- 
ty  waters  of  the  Missouri  and  Illinois,  with  their  unnumbered  tri- 
butaries, mingle  with  the  "  father  of  rivers,"  the  Mississippi,  a  situ- 
ation formed  by  nature,  calculated  to  invite  multitudes  of  men,  from 
the  goodness  of  the  soil,  and  the  facilities  of  water  communi- 
cations. 

The  present  race  who  are  now  fast  peopling  the  unbounded  west, 
are  apprised  of  the  advantages  of  this  region ;  towns  and  cities  are 
rising,  on  the  very  ground,  where  the  ancient  millions  of  mankind 
had  their  seats  of  empire. 

Ohio  now  contains  more  than  six  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  ; 
but  at  that  early  day,  the  same  extent  of  country,  most  probably,, 
was  filled  with  a  far  greater  population  than  inhabits  it  at  the  pre- 
sent time. 

Many  of  the  mounds  are  completely  occupied  with  human  ske- 
letons, and  millions  of  them  must  have  been  interred  in  these  vast 
cemeteries,  that  can  be  traced  from  the  Rocky  mountains,  on  the 
west,  to  the  Allegheuies  on  the  east,  and  into  the  province  of  the 
the  Texas  and  New  Mexico  on  the  south :  revolutions  like  those 
known  in  the  old  world,  may  have  taken  place  here,  and  ar- 
mies, equal  to  those  of  Cyrus,  of  Alexander,  the  Great,  or  of  Ta- 
merlene,  the  powerful,  might  have  flourished  their  trumpets,  and 
marched  to  battle,  over  these  extensive  plains,  filled  with  the  pro- 
bable descendants  of  that  same  race  in  Asia,  whom  these  proud  con- 
querors vanquished,  there. 

A  knowledge,  whence  came  the  first  settlers  of  our  vast  quarter 
of  the  globe,  as  far  as  it  can  be  fairly  ascertained,  must  be  highly 
interesting  to  every  inquisitive  mind.  Several  theories,  differing 
greatly  in  their  principles,  have  been  advanced  by  leading  writers. 
Dr.  Robertson,  with  his  usual  style  of  elegance,  and  manner,  and 
more  than  ordinary  imagination,  has  supposed  there  had  been  a 
bridge,  or  isthmus,  from  South  America  to  Africa,  over  which  the 
progenitors  of  the  American  family  might  have  pascod,  and  that  this 


•I 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN    THE   WEST. 


57 


jn,  the  migh- 
lumbered  tri- 
ssippi,  a  situ- 
3  of  men,  from 
ter  communi- 

bounded  west, 

and  cities  are 

»s  of  mankind 


bridge  was  destroyed  by  earUuiuiikcs,  or  worn  away  by  the  contin- 
ued action  of  the  Gulf  Stream." 

"  St.  Augustine  gets  over  the  difficulty  of  stocking  the  islands 
with  animals  by  a  shorter  method  than  this.  He  supposes,  among 
other  methods,  that  the  anyels  transportcid  them  thither.  This 
latter  solution,  thougii  it  solves  the  perplexity  of  their  passage  to 
the  new  world,  and  might  be  perfectly  satisfactory  to  the  establish- 
ed creed  of  South  America,  (which  is  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic) 
will  not,  however,  suit  the  incredulity  of  the  present  age." 


id  inhabitants ; 
most  probably,, 
ts  it  at  the  pre- 

th  human  ske- 
;d  in  these  vast 
untains,  on  the 
province  of  the 
itions  like  those 
here,   and  ar- 
Ireat,  or  of  Ta- 
ir  trumpets,  and 
d  with  the  pro- 
these  proud  con- 

our  vast  quarter 
must  be  highly 
eories,  differing 
leading  writers, 
nd  manner,  and 
gre  had  been  a 
over  which  the 
;d,  and  that  this 


COURSE  OF  THE  TEN  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL. 

*'  There  is  a  strong  resemblance  between  the  northern  and  inde- 
pendent Tartar,  and  the  tribes  of  the  North  American  Indians," 
but  not  of  the  South  American.  "  Besides  this  reason,  there  are 
others  for  believing  our  aborigines  of  North  America,  were  lie- 
scended  from  the  ancient  Scythians,  and  came  to  this  country 
from  the  eastern  part  of  Asia." 

This  view  by  no  means  invalidates  the  opinion,  that  many  tribes 
of  the  Indians  of  North  A.'nerica,  are  descended  of  the  hraeliteSj 
because  the  Scythians,  under  this  particular  name,  existed  long  be- 
fore that  branch  of  descendants  of  the  family  of  iS7tc?n,  called  Is- 
raelistes ;  who,  after  they  had  been  carried  away  by  Salmanasser, 
the  Assyrian  king,  went  norlhward  as  stated  by  Esdras,  (see  his  se- 
cond book,  thirteenth  chapter,  from  verse  40  to  verse  45,  inclusive) 
through  a  part  of  Independent  Tai  tary.  During  this  journey,  which 
carried  them  among  the  Tartars,  now  so  called,  but  were  anciently 
the  Scythians,  and  probably  became  amalgamated  with  them.  This 
was  the  more  easily  ed'ected,  on  account  of  the  agreement  of  com- 
plexion, and  common  origin. 

If  this  may  be  supposed,  we  perceive  at  once,  how  the  North 

American  Indians  are  in  possession  of  both  Scythian  and  Jewish 

8 


58 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


i       f 


practices.  Their  Scythian  customs  are  as  follows ;  "  Scalping  their 
prisoners,  and  lodurimj  theni  to  death.  Some  of  the  Indian  nations 
also  resemble  the  Tartars  in  the  construction  of  their  canoes,  imple- 
ments of  war,  and  of  the  chase,  with  the  well  known  habit  of 
marching  in  Indian  file,  and  their  treatment  of  the  aged ;"  these  are 
Scythiun  customs. 

Their  Jewish  customs  arc  too  many,  to  be  enumerated  in  this 
work ;  for  a  particular  account,  see  Smith's  View  of  the  Hebrews. 
If,  then,  our  Indians  have  evidently  the  manners,  of  both  the  Scy- 
thian and  the  Jew,  it  proves  them  to  have  been,  anciently,  both  Is- 
raelites and  Scythiaus  ;  the  latter  being  the  more  ancient  name  of 
the  nations  now  called  Tartars,  *  with  whom  the  ten  tribes  may 
have  amalgamated.  That  the  Israelites,  called  the  ten  tribes,  who 
were  carried  away  from  Judea  by  Salmanasser,  to  the  land  of  As- 
syria, went  from  that  country,  in  a  northerly  direction,  as  quoted 

from  Esdras,  above,  is  evident,  from  the  Map  of  Asia.  Look  at 
Esdras  again,  43d  verse,  chap.  13,  and  we  shall  perceive,  they"  en- 
tered into  ihe  Euphrates  by  the  narrow  passes  or  heads  of  that  riv- 
er," which  runs  from  the  north  into  the  Persian  Gulf. 

It  is  not  probable,  that  the  country  which  Esdras  called  Arsuretfi, 
could  possibly  be  America,  as  many  have  supposed,  because  a  vast 
company,  such  as  the  ten  tribes  were  at  the  time  they  left  Syria, 
which  was  about  an  hundred  years  after  their  having  been  carried 
away  from  Judea,  nearly  3000  years  ago,  could  not  travel  fast 
enough  to  perform  the  journey  in  so  short  a  time  as  a  year  and  a  half. 

We  learn  from  the  map  of  Asia,  that  Syria  was  situated  at  the 
south-easterly  end  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  that  in  entering 
into  the  narrow  passes  of  the  Euphrates,  as  Esdras  says,  would  lead 
them  north  of  Mount  Ararat,  and  south-easterly  of  the  IJlack  Sea, 
through  Georgia,  over  the  Concassian  mountains,  and  so  on  to  As- 
tracan,  which  lies  north  of  the  Caspian  Sea.      We  may,  with  the 

*  Tlie  aiipi'llatioii  of  Tartar  was;  not  known  till  the  yenr  A  D.  1227,  who 
were  at  that  time,  considered  ii  new  race  vi'  barbarians.— JWo;sc. 


^- 


!alpiiig  their 
dian  nations 
,noes,  imple- 
wn  habit  of 
;"  these  are 

rated  in  this 
lie  Hebrews. 
)oth  the  Sej- 
ntly,  both  Is- 
ient  name  of 
n  tribes  may 
ti  tribes,  who 
^  land  of  As- 
m,  as  quoted 

lia.  Look  at 
ve,  they  "  en- 
Is  of  that  riv- 

llod  Afsarelfiy 
)ecause  a  vast 
ey  left  Syria, 

beon  carried 
ot  travel   fast 

ar  and  a  half, 
ituated  at  the 
at  in  entering 
?s,  would  lead 
le  Jilack  Sea, 
:1  so  on  to  As- 
nay,  with  the 

I    D.  1227,  who 
c. 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST  o9 

■Rtmost  show  of  reason,  be  |)»'rmitted  to  argue  that  this  vast  compa- 
ny of  mon,  womon,  and  their  little  ones,  would  naturally  be  com- 
f  elled  to  shape  tlieir  course;,  so  as  to  avoid  the  deep  rivers,  which 
it  cannot  well  be  supposed,  they  had  tlie  means  of  crossing,  except 
when  frozen.  Their  course  would  tlien  be  along  the  heads  of  the 
several  rivers  running  north  after  tliey  had  passed  the  coimtry  of 
Astracan.  From  .'en*  ir  the  Ural  mountain^"-  or  th^.t  part  of 
that  chain  running  ,..ong  luv^^^jendcnt  Tartary.  li.-.i,  after  having 
passed  over  this  mountain  near  the  northern  boundary  of  Independ- 
ent Tartary,  th(iy  would  find  tliemselves  at  the  foot  of  the  little  Al- 
tAin  mountains,  which  course  would  lead  them,  if  they  still  wished 
to  avoid  deep  and  rapid  rivers,  running  from  the  little  Altain  moun- 
tains northward,  or  north-westerly,  into  the  Northern  Ocean,  across 
the  immense  region  of  Siberia.  The  names  of  those  rivers  begin- 
ning on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Ural  mountains,  are  first,  the  river 
Obi,  with  its  many  bends,  or  little  rivers,  forming  at  length  the  river 
Obi,  which  empties  into  the  Northern  Ocean,  at  the  gulf  of  Obi, 
in  latitude  of  about  67  degs.  north. 

The  second,  is  the  river  Yenisei,  with  its  many  heads,  having 
their  sources  in  the  same  chain  of  mountains,  and  runs  into  the 
same  ocean,  further  north,  towards  Bhering's  straits,  which  is  the 
point  we  are  approximating,  by  pursuing  this  course. 

A  third  river  with  its  many  heads,  tliat  rise  at  the  base  of  anoth- 
er chain  of  moutains,  called  the  Yablonoy  ;  this  is  the  river  Lena. 

There  are  several  other  rivers,  arising  out  of  another  chain  of 
mountains,  fartlier  on  northward  towards  Bhering's  straits,  which 
have  no  name  on  the  map  of  Asia  ;  this  range  of  mountains  is  cal- 
led the  St.  Anovoya  aiountains,  and  comes  to  a  point  or  end,  at  the 
strait  which  Separates  Asia  from.  America,  which  is  but  a  small  dis- 
tance across,  of  about  forty  miles  only,  and  several  islands  between. 

Allowing  the  ten  tribes,  or  if  tliey  may  have  become  amalgama- 
ted with  the  Tartars,  as  they  passed  on  in  this  tremendous  journey, 
toward  the  Northern  Ocean,  to  have  pursued  this  course,  the  di.s- 


V, 


■'^\' 


60 


AMl!:RICA^    ANTItiUITIF.S 


m\} 


1 1 


' 


t},' , 


T> 


tance  will  appear  from  Syria  t(t  tli«  straits,  to  be  some  hundreds 
over  six  thousand  miles.  Six  thousand  two  htindred  and  fifty-five 
miles,  which  is  the  distance,  is  more  by  nearly  one  half,  than  such 
a  vast  body,  in  moving  on  ton;itlur  could  possibly  perform  in  a  year 
and  a  half.  Six  miles  a  day  would  be  as  p;reiit  a  distance,  as  such 
an  host  could  perform,  where  there  is  no  way  but  that  of  forests  un- 
traced  by  man,  and  obstructed  by  swamps,  mountains,  fallen  trees, 
and  thousands  of  nameless  hindrances.  Food  must  be  had,  and  the 
only  way  of  procuring  it,  must  have  been  by  hunting  with  the  bow 
and  arrow,  and  by  fishing.  The  sick  must  not  be  forsaken,  the  aged 
and  the  infant  must  be  cherished  ;  all  these  things  would  delay,  so 
that  a  rapid  progress  cannot  be  admitted. 

If,  then,  six  miles  a  day  is  a  reascmable  distance  to  suppose  they 
naay  have  progressed,  it  follows  that  nearly  three  years,  instead  of  a 
year  and  a  half,  would  not  have  been  more  than  sufficient  to  carry 
them  from  Syria  to  Bhering's  Straits,  through  a  region  almost  of 
eternal  snow. 

This,  therefore,  cannot  have  been  the  course  of  the  ten  tribes,  to 
the  land  of  Assareth,  wherever  it  was  :  and  that  it  was  north  from 
Syria,  we  ascertain  by  Esdras,  who  says  they  went  into  the  narrow 
passes  of  the  Euphrates,  which  means  its  three  heads,  or  branches, 
which  arise  north  from  Syria.  From  the  head  waters  of  this  river, 
there  is  no  way  to  pass  on,  but  to  go  between  the  Black  and  Cas- 
pian Seas,  over  the  Concasian  mountain,  as  before  stated. 

From  this  point  they  may  have  gone  on  to  what  is  now  called  As- 
tracan,  as  before  rehearsed ;  but  here  we  suppose  they  may  have  ta- 
ken a  west  instead  of  a  north  direction,  which  w^ould  have  been  to- 
ward that  part  of  Russia,  which  is  now  called  Russia  in  Europe,  and 
would  have  led  them  on  between  the  rivers  Don  and  Volga  ;  the 
Don  emptying  into  the  Blask  Sea,  and  the  Volga  into  the  Caspian. 

This  course  would  have  led  them  exactly  to  the  places  where 
Moscow  and  Petersburgh  now  stand,  and  from  thence  in  a  north- 
westerly direction,  along  the  south  end  of  the  White  Sea,  to  Lap- 


\N'D    DIS(Jt)VERlE.S    IPf   THE  WKST. 


611 


ne  hundrecf?' 
and  fifty-five 
ilf,  than  such 
)rm  in  a  year 
unce,  as  such 
of  forests  un- 
,  fallen  trees, 
i  had,  and  the 
with  the  bow 
ken,  the  aged 
mid  delay,  so 

suppose  they 
1,  instead  of  a 
icient  to  carry 
ion  almost  of 

p  ten  tribes,  to 
as  north  from 
to  the  narrow 
,  or  branches, 
s  of  this  river, 
ack  and  Cas- 
ted. 

)w  called  As- 
may  have  ta- 
have  been  to- 
ri Europe,  and 
1  Volga  ;  the 
» the  Caspian, 
places  where 
ce  in  a  north- 
I  Sea,  to  Lap- 


Inndy  Norwaif,  and  Sweden,  which  lie  along  on  the  coast  of  the  North 
Atlantic  Ocean- 

Now,  the  distance  from  St/rin  to  Norway,  Lapland,  and  Sweden, 
which  is  nearly  the  same,  is  scarcely  three  thousand  miles,  a  dis- 
tance which  may  have  easily  been  travelled  in  a  year  and  a  half, 
at  six  miles  a  day,  and  the  same  opportunity  have  been  afforded 
for  their  amalgamation  with  Scythians  or  Tartars,  as  in  the  other 
course  towards  Behring's  strait.  Nor\vay,  Sweden,  and  Lapland, 
may  have  been  the  land  of  Areareth. 

But  here  arises  a  question  ;  how  then  did  they  get  into  Ameri- 
ca from  Lapland  and  Norway  ?  The  only  answer  is,  America  and 
Europe  must  have  been  at  that  time  united  by  land. 

"  The  manner  by  which  the  original  inhabitants  and  animals 
reached  liere,  is  easily  explained,  by  adopting  the  supposition,  which 
doubtless,  is  the  most  correct,  that  the  northwestern  and  western 
limits  of  America  were,  at  some  former  period,  united  to  Asia  on 
the  west,  and  to  Europe  on  the  east. 

This  was  partly  the  opinion  of  Buftbn  and  other  great  naturalists. 
That  connection  has,  therefore,  been  destroyed,  among  other  great 
changes  that  this  earth  has  evidently  experienced  since  the  flood. 

We  have  examples  of  these  revolutions  before  our  eyes.  Flo- 
rida has  gained  leagues  of  land  from  the  gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  part 
of  Louisiana,  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  has  been  formed  by  the  mUd 
of  rivers.  Since  the  Falls  of  Niagara  were  first  discovered,  they 
have  receded  very  considerably  ;  and,  it  is  conjectured,  that  this 
sublimest  of  nature's  curiosities,  was  situated  originally  where 
Queenstown  now  stands. 

SiciLV  was  united  formerly  to  the  continent  of  Europe,  and  an- 
cient authors  affirm  that  the  straits  of  Gibraltar,  which  divide  be- 
tween Europe  and  Africa,  were  formed  by  a  violent  irruption  of 
the  ocean  upon  the  land.  Ceylon,  where  our  missionaries  have  an 
establisment,  has  lost  forty  leagues  by  the  sea,  which  is  an  hundred 
and  twenty  miles." 


>§ 


p    1 

h  t 

i 
{ 

,i 


«9 


AMERICAN    ANTHill'IIKS 


Many  such  instances  occur  in  history.  I'liiiy  tells  ns  that  in  hi? 
own  time,  the  mountain  Cymbotus,  with  the  town  of  Euritos,  which 
stood  on  its  side,  weie  totally  swallowed  up.  lie  records  the  like 
of  the  city  Tantelis  in  Magnesia,  and  of  the  mountain  So- 
pelus,  both  absorbed  by  a  violent  opening  of  the  earth,  so  that  no 
trace  of  either  remained.  Galanis  and  Guriiatus,  towns  once  famous 
in  I^ioenicia,  are  recorded  to  have  met  the  same  fate.  The  vast 
promontory,  called  Phlegium,  in  Ethiopia,  after  a  violent  earthquake 
in  the  night,  was  not  to  be  seen  in  the  morning,  the  earth  having 
swallowed  it  up  and  closed  over  it. 

Like  instances  we  have  of  later  date.  Tlie  mountain  Picus,  in 
one  of  the  Moluccas,  was  so  high,  that  it  appeared  at  a  vast  dis- 
tance, and  served  as  a  landmark  to  sailors.  Ii\it  during  an  earth- 
quake in  the  isle,  the  mountain  in  an  instant  sunk  into  the  bowels 
of  the  earth ;  and  no  token  of  it  remained,  but  a  lake  of  Avater. 
The  like  happened  in  the  mountainous  parts  of  China,  in  1.05G  : — 
when  a  whole  province,  with  all  its  towns,  cities,  and  inhabitants, 
was  absorbed  in  a  moment  ;  an  immense  lake  of  water  remaining 
in  its  place,  even  to  this  day. 

In  the  year  1646,  during  the  terrible  earthquake  in  the  kingdom 
of  Chili,  several  whole  mountains  of  the  Andes,  one  after  another, 
were  wholly  absorbed  in  the  earth.  Probably  many  lakes,  over  the 
whole  earth  have  been  occasioned  in  tliis  way. 

The  greatest  earthquake  we  find  in  antiquity,  is  that  mentioned 
by  Pliny,  in  which  twelve  cities  in  Asia  ]\Iinor  were  sAvallowed 
up  in  one  night.  But  one  of  those  most  particularly  described  in 
history,  is  that  of  the  year  1693.  It  extended  to  a  circumference 
of  two  thousand  six  hundred  leagues,  chiefly  affecting  the  sea  coasts 
and  great  rivers.  Its  motions  were  so  rapid,  that  those  who  lay  at 
their  length  were  tossed  from  side  to  side  as  upon  a  rolling  billow. 
The  walls  were  dashed  from  their  foundations,  and  no  less  than  fif- 
ty-four  cities,  with  an  incredible  number  of  villages,  were  either 


M 


ANU  DlSfOVERltS    IN    TlIK    WEST- 


63 


lis  us  that  ill  lii^ 
f  Eiiritt's,  whicli 
records  the  like 

mountain  So- 
artli,  so  that  no 
vns  once  famous 

fate.  The  vast 
olent  earthquake 
the  earth  havina; 

luntain  Pious,  in 
red  at  a  vast  dis- 
during  an  eartli- 
:  into  tlie  bowels 
I  lake  of  water, 
lina,  in  155G  : — 
and  inhabitants, 
water  remaining 

in  the  kingdom 

le  after  another, 

lakes,  over  the 

that  mentioned 
were  sAvallowed 
rly  described  in 
I  circumference 
ig  the  sea  coasts 
hose  who  lay  at 
a  rolling  billow, 
no  less  than  fif- 
es, were  either 


i 


dtislioyed  oi  giently  damaged.  The  city  of  Catanea,  in  particular, 
was  utterly  overthrown.  A  travelU'i ,  who  was  on  his  way  thither, 
at  the  distance  of  some  miles,  perceived  a  black  cloud  hanging 
near  the  place.  The  sea  all  of  a  sudden  began  to  roar  :  Mount 
Etna  to  send  forth  great  spires  of  llames ;  and  soon  after  a  shock 
ensued,  with  a  noise  as  if  all  the  artillery  in  the  world  had  been  at 
once  dischaig(!d.  Our  traveller  being  obliged  to  alight  instantly, 
felt  himself  raised  a  foot  from  the  ground,  and  turning  his  eyes  to 
the  city,  saw  nothing  but  a  thick  cloud  of  dust  in  the  air.  Although 
the  shock  did  not  continue  above  three  minutes,  yet  near  nineteen 
thousand  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sicily  perished  in  the  ruins. 

We  have  said  above,  that  Norway,  Lapland  and  Sweden,  may 
have  been  the  very  land  called  the  land  of  Arsaretu,  by  Esdras, 
in  his  second  book,  chapter  13,  who  may,  with  the  utmost  certain- 
ty, be  supposed  to  know  the  very  course  and  place  where  these  ten 
tribes  went  to,  being  himself  a  .Jew  and  an  historian,  who  at  the 
present  day  is  quoted  by  the  first  authors  of  the  age. 

We  have  also  said  it  should  be  considered  impossible  for  the  ten 
tribes,  after  having  left  the  jilace  of  their  captivity,  at  the  east  end 
of  the  Atedlterrauean  Sea,  which  was  the  Syrian  country,  for  them 
to  have  gone  in  a  year  and  a  half  to  Bhering's  Strait,  through  the 
frozen  wilderne.'^s  of  Siberia. 

In  going  away  from  Syria,  they  cannot  be  supposed  to  have  had 
any  place  in  view,  only  they  had  conferred  among  tlxemselves  that, 
as  Esdras  says,  "  they  would  leave  the  multitude  of  the  heathen, 
and  go  forth  into  a  country  where  never  mankind  dwelt ;"  which 
Esdras  called  the  land  of  Arsareth. 

Now,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed,  a  land,  or  country,  where  no  man 
dwelt,  could  have  a  name,  especially  in  that  early  age  of  the  world, 
which  was  about  eight  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era  ;  but 
on  that  very  account  we  may  suppose  the  word  Arsareth,  to  be  de- 
only  of  a  vast  wilderness  country,  where  no  man  dwelt. 


liptl 


and  is  probably  a  Persian  word,  of  that  signification,  for  Syria  was 


ll  ■ 


'':{ 


i 


64 


AMICItlCAN    ANTfQLITIKS 


m. 


I 


iH 


V 

u 


embruct'd  within  the  Persiaii  oinpire ;  the  Israelites  may  have,  in 
part,  lost  their  original  language,  aaving  been  there  in  a  state  of 
captivity  for  more  tliau  an  hundred  years  before  they  left  that 
country. 

Fvsdras  says  that  Arsareth  was  a  land  where  no  man  dwelt ;  this 
statement  is  somewhat  corroborated  by  the  fact  that  the  country 
which  we  have  supposed  was  Arsareth,  namely,  Norway^  &c.  was 
anciently  unknown  to  mankind.  On  this  point,  see  Morse's  Geo- 
graphy, second  volume,  page  28  :  "Norway  ;  a  rerfion  almost  as 
unknown  to  the  ancients  us  was  America.''^ 

Its  almost  insulated  situation ;  having  on  the  west  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  on  the  south  end  the  North  Sea,  and  on  the  east  the  Baltic 
and  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  these  waters  almost  surrounding  it  ;  there 
being  a  narrow  comiexion  of  land  Avith  the  continent  only  on  the 
north,  between  the  (iulf  of  Bothnia  and  the  White  Sea,  which  is 
Lapland,  and  was  a  reason  quite  sufficient  why  the  ancients  should 
have  liad  no  knowledge  of  that  region  of  country  which  we  have 
supposed  may  have  been  the  country  called  by  Esdras,  the  land 
of  Arsareth. 

Naturalists,  as  before  remarked,  have  supposed  that  America  was, 
at  some  remote  period  before  the  Christian  era,  united  to  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe  ;  and  that  some  convulsion  in  nature,  such  as 
earthquakes,  volcanoes,  or  the  eruption  of  the  ocean,  has  shaken 
and  overwhelmed  a  whole  region  of  earth,  lying  between  Norway 
and  Baffin's  Bay,  of  which  Greenland  and  Iceland,  with  many 
other  islands,  are  the  remains. 

But  it  may  be  said,  there  are  no  traces  that  the  Jews  were  ever 
residents  of  Norway,  Lapland,  or  Scandinavia.  From  the  particu- 
lar shape  of  Norway,  being  surrounded  by  the  waters  of  the  sea, 
except,  between  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  and  the  White  Sea,  we  per- 
ceive that  the  first  people,  whoever  they  were,  must  have  approach- 
ed it  by  the  narrow  pass  between  those  two  bodies  of  water,  of 
only  about  forty-five  miles  in  width. 


AND    t>IStOVl-.KIi:s    IN    TIIF.  WKST. 


r,5 


may  have,  in 
I  in  a  state  of 
hey   left   that 

111  dwelt ;  this 
it  the  country 
rwaij^  &c.  was 
Morse's  Geo- 
fi'ion  almost  as 

St  the  Atlantic 
east  the  Baltic 
iding  it  ;  there 
nt  only  on  the 
Sea,  which  is 
ancients  should 
I'hich  we  have 
sdras,  tlie  land 

it  AnuM'lca  was, 
itcd  to  the  con- 
lature,  such  as 
an,  has  shaken 
tween  Norway- 
id,  with   many 

ws  were  ever 
oni  the  particu- 
ters  of  the  sea, 
te  Sea,  we  per- 
have  approach- 
s  of  water,  of 


Consequently  (he  place  now  desiu;niited  by  the  name  of  IjipJand,, 
which  is  the  noithciii  end  of  \orway,  was  fust  peopled,  be- 
fore the  more  southern  parts.  An  inquiry,  therefore,  whether 
the  ancient  people  of  liapland  had  any  customs  like  the  ancient 
Jews,  would  be  pertinent  to  our  hypothesis  respectiiip;  the  route  of 
the  7t'n  Tribes^  as  sjioken  of  by  I'isdras.  Morse,  the  fveograplier, 
says  that  of  the  orUjhml  population  of  Lapland  very  little  is  known 
with  certainty  Some  writers  have  supposed  them  to  be  ii  colony 
of  Fins  from  Russia ;  others  have  thought  that  they  bore  a  stronger 
resemblance  to  the  Semocids  of  Asia.  Their  lanj^uagc,  howcve^, 
is  said  by  Leems,  to  have  less  similitude  to  the  Finish,  t!ian  t'le 
Danish  to  the  German  ;  and  to  be  toUiUij  unlike  any  (.f  the  di»'<  'ts 
of  the  Teutonic,  or  ancestors  of  the  ancient  Germans.  They  had 
no  written  language,  no  more  than  the  Indians  of  America  ;  but 
according  to  JiCems,  as  cpioted  by  Mnr.se,  in  their  languag. :  die 
found  many  Hebrcit  words,  also  Greek  and  Latin. 

Hebrew  words  are  found  among  the  American  Indians  in  consi- 
derable variety.  But  how  came  Greek  and  Latin  words  to  be  in 
the  composition  of  the  Laponic  language  ? 

This  is  easily  answered,  if  we  suppose  them  to  be  derived  from  the 
Ten  Tribes ;  as  at  the  time  they  left  Syria,  the  Greek  and  Latin 
were  languages  spoken  every  where  in  that  region,  as  well  as  the 
Syrian  and  Chaldean.  And  on  this  very  account,  it  is  likely 
the  Ten  Tribes  had  lost  in  part  their  ancie  t  'tnguage,  as  it 
was  spoken  at  Jerusalem,  when  Salmanasser  carried  them  away. 
So  that  by  the  time  they  left  Syria,  and  the  region  therealiouts,  to 
go  to  Arsareth,  their  language  had  become,  from  this  sort  of  mix- 
ture, an  entire  new  language. 

So  that  allowing  the  anci<mt  liaplauders  derived    their  tongue 

from  these  Ten  wandering  Tribes,  it  well  might  be  said  by  Leems, 

as  quoted  by  Morse,  that  the  language  of  Lapland,  commonly  called 

the  LajXHiic,  had  no  words  in  common  with  the  Gothic  or  Teutonic, 

except  a  few  Norwegian  mords  vvidentljf  foreign,  and  unas.sociated 

9 


66 


AiMEillCAN   ANTIQUITIES 


with  any  of  the  languages  of  Asia  or  Europe  :  these  being  of  the 
Teutonic  or  German  origin,  which  goes  back  to  within  five  hundred 
years  of  the  flood,  several  centuries  before  the  Ten  Tribes  were 
carried  away  by  Salmanasser. 

This  view  would  seem  to  favour  our  hypothesis.  We  shall  no^v 
show  a  few  particulars  respecting  their  religious  notions,  which 
seem  to  have,  in  some  respects,  a  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Jews. 

Their  deities  .-'ere  of  four  kiiids.  First :  Super-celestial,  named 
as  follows :  Radien,  Atzihe,  and  Kiedde,  the  Creator.  Radien 
and  Atzihe,  they  considered  the  fountain  of  power,  and  Kiedde  or 
Radien  Kiedde,  the  son  or  Creator;  these  were  their  Supreme  gods, 
and  would  seem  to  be  borrowed  from  the  Jewish  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity. 

Second :  Celestial  Deities,  called  Beiwe,  the  sun,  or  as  other  an- 
cient nations  had  it,  Apollo,  Avhich  is  the  same,  and  Ailekies,  to 
whom  Saturday  was  consecrated.  May  not  these  two  powers  be 
considered  as  the  shadows  of  the  diftcrent  orders  of  angels  as  held 
by  the  .Jews 

Third  :  Sub-celtstial,  or  in  the  air,  and  on  the  earth  ;  Moderak- 
ka,  or  the  Lapland  Lucina  ;  Saderakka,  or  Venus,  to  whom  Fri- 
day was  holy  ;  and  Juks  Akka,  or  the  Nurse.  These  are  of  hea- 
then origin,  derived  from  the  nations  among  whom  they  had  been 
slaves  and  wanderers. 

Fourth  :  Subterranean  Deities,  as  Saiwo  and  Saiwo-Olmak,  gods, 
of  the  mountains  ;  Saiv.o-Guelle,  or  their  Mercury,  who  conducted 
the  shades,  or  wicked  souls,  to  the  lower  regions. 

This  idea  would  seem  to  be  equivalent  with  the  doctrine  found 
in  both  the  Jewish  and  Christian  religions,  namely,  that  Satan  con- 
ducts or  receives  the  souls  of  the  wicked  to  his  hell. 

They  have  another  doity,  i»eloiiging  to  the  fourtl*  order,  and  him 
they  call  Jahme-Akko,  or  he  who  occu])ied  their  Elisium  ;  in  which 
the  soul  was  furnished  with  a  new  body,  and  nobler  privileges  and 
powers,  and  entitled,  at  some  future  day,  to  enjoy  the  sight  of  Ra- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


67 


being  ai  the 
five  hundred 
Tribes  were 

Ve  shall  uo>v 
tions,  which 
of  the  Jews. 
sstialj  named 
OR-  Radien 
nd  Kiedde  or 
Supreme  gods, 
jctrine  of  the 

«i  as  other  an- 
d  Ailekies,  to 
,vo  powers  be 
angels  as  held 

\  ;  Moderak- 
to  whom  F  ri- 
se are  of  hea- 
ley  had  been 

o-Olmak,  gods 
vho  conducted 

doctrine  found 
lat  Satan  con- 

•nlf  r,  and  him 
um  ;  in  whicli 
privileges  and 
c  sight  of  Ra- 


i 


<3ien,  the  fountain  of  power,  and  to  dwell  with  him  for  ever  in  the 
mansions  of  bliss- 

This  last  sentiment  is  certainly  ecjuivaleiit  to  the  Jewish  idea  of 
heaven  and  eternal  happiness  in  Abraham's  bosom.  It  also,  under 
the  idea  of  a  new  body,  shows  a  reflation  to  the  Jewish  and  Chris- 
tian doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  at  the  last  day  ;  this 
is  indeed  very  wonderful. 

Fifth  :  An  Infernal  Deity,  called  Rota,  who  occupied  and  reign- 
ed in  Rota-Abirao,  or  the  infernal  regions  ;  the  occupants  of  which 
Jiad  no  hopes  of  an  escape.  He,  togetlier  with  his  subordinates, 
Fudno,  Mubber,  and  Paha-Engel,  were  all  considered'  as  evil  dis- 
posed towards  mankind. 

This  is  too  plain  not  to  be  applied  to  the  Bible  doctrine  of  one 
supreme  devil  and  his  angels,  who  are,  sure  enough,  evil  disposed 
towards  mankind. 

Added  to  all  this,  the  Laplanders  were  found  in  the  practice  of  sa- 
crificing to  all  their  deities,  the  reindeer,  the  sheep,  and  sometimes 
the  seal,  pouring  libations  of  milk,  whey,  and  brandy,  with  offer- 
ings of  cheese,  &c. 

This  last  item  of  their  religious  manners,  is  too  striking  not  to 
claim  its  derivation  from  the  ancient  Jewish  worship.  The  Lap- 
landers are  a  people  but  few  in  number,  not  much  exceeding  twelve 
hundred  families  ;  which  we  imagine  is  a  circumstance  favouring 
our  idea,  that  after  they  had  remained  a  while  in  Arsareth,  or  Lap- 
laud  and  Norway,  which  is  much  the  same  thing,  that  their  main 
body  may  have  passed  over  into  America,  either  in  boats,  from  isl- 
and to  island  ;  or,  if  there  then  was,  as  is  supposed,  an  isthmus  of 
land,  connecting  the  continents,  they  passed  over  on  that,  leaving, 
as  is  natural,  in  case  of  such  a  migration,  some  individuals  or  fami- 
lies behind,  who  might  not  wish  to  accompany  them,  from  whom 
the  present  race  of  Laplanders  may  be  derived.  Their  dress  is 
much  the  same  with  that  of  our  Indians  ;  their  complexion  is  swar- 
thy, hair  black,  large  heads,  high  cheek  bones,  with  ^vide  mouths ; 


n 


08 


AMERICAN    ANTKiUlTIES 


all  of  which  is  strikingly  national.  They  call  themsflves  Same, 
their  speech  Same-yiel,  and  their  country  Same-Edna.  This  last 
word  sounds  very  much  like  the  word  Eden,  and  may  he,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  the  name  of  their  country,  borrowed  from  the  name  of  the 
region  where  Adam  was  created,  Eden. 

If  such  may  have  been  the  fact,  that  a  part  of  the  Ten  Tribes 
came  over  to  America,  in  the  way  we  have  supposed,  leaving  the 
cold  regions  of  Asarcth  behind  them,  in  quest  of  a  milder  climate, 
it  would  be  natural  to  look  for  tokens  of  the  presence  of  Jews  of 
•some  sort,  along  the  countries  adjacent  to  the  Atlantic. 

Here  we  shall  make  an  extract  from  an  able  work,  wrote  exclu- 
sively on  the  subject  of  the  Ten  Tribes  having  come  from  Asia  by 
the  way  of  lihering's  Strait,  by  the  Rev.  Ethan  Smith,  Pultney, 
Vt.,  who  relates  as  follows  :  "  Joseph  Merrick,  Esq.,  a  [highly  re- 
spectable character  in  the  church  at  Pitt.'-field,  gave  the  following 
account :  that  in  1815  he  Avas  levelling  some  ground  under  and 
near  an  old  wood  .shed,  standing  on  a  place  of  his  situated  on  Indian 
Hill. 

He  plowed  and  conveyed  away  old  chips  and  earth  to  some  depth. 
After  the  work  was  done,  walking  over  the  place,  he  discovered, 
near  where  the  earth  had  been  dug  the  deepest,  a  black  strap,  as 
it  appeared,  about  six  inches  in  length,  and  one  and  a  half  in  breadth, 
and  about  the  thickness  of  a  leather  trace  to  a  harness. 

He  perceived  it  had  at  each  end,  a  loop  of  some  hard  substance, 
probably  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  it.  He  conveyed  it  to  his 
house,  and  threw  it  into  an  old  tool  box.  He  afterwards  found  it 
thrown  out  of  doors,  and  he  again  conveyed  it  to  the  box.  After 
.some  time  he  thought  he  wou'd  examine  it ;  but  in  attempting  to 
cut  it,  found  it  as  hard  as  a  bone  ;  he  succeeded,  however,  in  get- 
ting it  open,  and  found  it  was  formed  of  two  pieces  of  thick  raw- 
hide, sewed  and  made  water  tight,  with  the  sinews  of  some  animal ; 
and  in  the  fold  was  contained,  four  lolded  pieces  of  parchment. 
They  were  of  a  dark  yellow  hue,  and  contained  some  kind  of  wri- 


# 


AND    DISCOVEKIES    IN    THt:  IVEST- 


69 


it'lvcs  Same, 
;.  This  last 
t)e,  inasmuch 
name  of  the 

2  Ten  Tribes 
1,  leaving  the 
ilder  climate, 
ce  of  Jews  of 

wrote  exclu- 
from  Asia  by 
nith,  Pultney, 
.,  a  [highly  re- 
!  the  following 
ind  under  and 
ated  on  Indian 

to  some  depth, 
he  discovered, 
black  strap,  as 
lalf  in  breadth, 
ss. 

lard  substance, 
eyed  it  to  his 
wards  found  it 
le  box.  After 
I  attempting  to 
owever,  in  get- 

of  thick  raw- 
)f  some  animal ; 

of  parchment, 
no  kind  of  wri- 


M 


:^> 


ting.  The  neighbors  coming  in  to  see  the  strange  discovery,  tore 
one  of  the  pieces  to  atoms,  in  the  true  Hun  and  Vandal  style.  The 
other  three  pieces  Mr.  Merrick  saved,  and  sent  them  to  Cambridge, 
where  they  were  examined,  and  discovered  to  have  b  jen  written 
with  a  pen  in  Hebrew,  plain  and  legible. 

The  writing  on  the  three  remaining  pieces  of  parchment,  was 
quotations  from  the  Old  Testament :  See  Deut.  vi.  chap,  from  the 
4th  to  the  9th  verse  inclusive — also,  xi.  chap.  13,  21,  inclusive — 
and  Exodus,  chap.  xiii.  11,  16,  inclusive,  to  which  the  reader  can 
•refer,  if  he  has  the  curiosity  to  read  this  most  interesting  discovery. 

These  passages,  as  recited  above,  were  found  in  the  strap  of  raw- 
hide ;  which  unquestionably  had  been  written  on  the  very  pieces 
of  parchment  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Antiquarian  Society,  be- 
fore Israel  left  the  land  of  Syria,  2500  years  ago  :  but  it  is  not  like- 
ly the  raw-hide  strap  in  which  they  were  found  enclosed,  had  been 
made  a  very  great  length  of  time.  This  would  be  unnatural,  as  a 
tlesire  to  look  at  the  sacred  characters,  would  be  very  great,  al- 
though they  could  not  read  them.  This,  however,  was  done  at 
last,  as  it  appears,  and  buried  with  some  Chief,  on  the  place  where 
it  was  found,  called  Indian  Hill. 

Dr.  West,  of  Stockbridge,  relates  that  an  old  Indian  informed 
him,  that  his  fathers  in  this  country,  had,  not  long  since,  been  in 
the  possession  of  a  booh;  which  they  had,  for  a  long  time,  carried 
with  them,  but  having  lost  the  knowledge  of  reading  it,  they  bu- 
ried it  with  an  Indian  Chief. —  View  of  the  Hebrews, page  223. 

It  had  been  handed  down  from  family  to  family,  or  from  Chief  to 
Chief,  as  a  most  precious  relic,  if  not  as  an  amulet,  charm,  or  talis- 
man, for  it  is  not  to  be  supposed,  that  a  distinct  knowledge  of  what 
was  contained  in  the  strap,  could  have  long  continued  among  them, 
in  their  wandering  condition,  amid  woods  and  forests. 

"  It  is  said  by  Calraet,  that  the  al)ove  texts  are  the  very  passages 
of  Scriptupe,  which  the  Jews  used  to  write  on  the  leaves  of  their 
phylacteries.      These  phylacteries  were  little  rolls  of  parchment, 


1 
is" 

•    I 

■, 

'if 
I 


70 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


\V't 


,.  i 


whereon  were  written  certain  words  of  the  law,  these  they  wore 
upon  their  forehead,  and  upon  the  wrist  of  their  left  arm." — Smithb 
View  of  the  Hebrews,  page  220. 

This  intimation  of  the  presence  of  the  Israelites  in  America,  is 
too  unequivocal  to  be  passed  unnoticed :  and  the  circumstance  of 
its  being  found  so  near  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  at  so  vast  a  distance 
from  Bhering's  Straits,  we  are  still  inclined  to  s\ippose,  that  such  of 
the  Israelites  as  found  their  way  to  the  shores  of  America,  on  the 
coast  of  the  Atlantic,  may  have  come  from  Lapland,  or  Norway ; 
seeing  evident  tokens  exist,  of  their  having  once  been  there,  as  we 
have  noticed  some  few  pages  back. 

But  there  is  a  third  supposition  respecting  the  land  of  Arsareth ; 
which  is,  that  it  is  situated  exactly  east  from  the  region  of  Syria. 
This  is  thought  to  be  the  country,  now  known  in  Asia  by  the  appel- 
lation of  Little  Bucharia.  Its  distance  from  Syria  is  something 
more  than  two  thousand  miles ;  which,  by  Esdras,  might  very  well 
be  said  to  be  a  journey  of  a  year  and  a  half,  through  an  entire  wil- 
derness. 

Bucharia,  the  region  of  country  of  which  we  are  about  to  speak, 
as  being  the  ancient  resort  of  a  part  of  the  lost  Ten  Tribes,  is  in 
distance  from  England,  3475  milec ;  a  little  south  of  east  from  the 
latitude  of  London  ;  and  from  State  of  New- York,  exactly  double 
that  distance,  6950  miles,  on  an  air  line,  as  measured  on  an  ariificial 
globe,  and  in  nearly  the  same  latitude,  due  east  from  this  country. 

It  is  not  impossible,  after  all  our  .speculation,  and  the  speculations 
of  others,  that,  instead  of  America,  or  of  Norway,  this  same  Bu- 
charia, is,  in  truth,  the  ancient  country  of  Arsareth ;  although  in 
the  country  of  old  Norway,  and  of  America,  are  abundant  evidence 
of  the  presence  of  Jews  at  some  remote  period,  no  doubt  derived 
from  this  stock,  the  Ten  Tribes. 

The  country  of  Bucharia  is  situated  due  east  from  Syria,  where 
the  Ten  Tribes  were  placed  by  Salmanasser,  as  well  as  farther  cast 
on  the  river  Gozen,  or  Ganges,  of  Hindostan.      The  distance  is 


AND  DIRCOVERIF.S   IN  THE  WEST. 


71 


i  they  wore 

1."— Swi</t'3 

America,  is 
lumstance  of 
ist  a  distance 
,  that  such  of 
lerica,  on  the 

or  Norway ; 
1  there,  as  we 

of  Arsareth ; 
gion  of  Syria. 
I  by  the  appel- 
,  is  something 
light  very  well 

an  entire  wil- 

ibout  to  speak, 

(   Tribes^  is  in 

cast  from  the 

exactly  double 

I  on  an  ariificial 
m  this  country, 
he  speculations 

this  same  Bu- 
th\  although  in 
mdant  evidence 

doubt  derived 

tn  Syria,  where 

II  as  farther  cast 
The  distance  is 


about  two  thousand  live  hundred  miles,  and  at  that  time,  was  a  vast 
desert,  lying  beyond  the  settlements  of  men,  in  all  probability ;  and 
in  order  to  go  there,  they  must  also  pass  through  the  narrow  passes 
of  the  river  Euphrates,  or  its  heads,  near  the  south  end  of  the  Cas- 
pian Sea,  and  then  nearly  due  east,  inclining,  however,  a  little  to 
the  north.  Two  circumstances,  lead  to  the  supposition,  that  this 
Bucharia  is  the  Arsareth  mentioned  by  Esdras.  The  first  is,  at  this 
place  is  found  a  great  population  of  the  Jews :  Second  ;  the  word, 
Arsareth  is  similar  to  the  names  of  other  regions  of  that  country  in 
Asia ;  as  Ararat,  Astracan,  Samarcand,  Yarkund,  Aracan,  Ala  Tau, 
Alatanian,  Aral,  Altai,  Amu,  Korassan,  Balk,  Bactriana,  Bucharia, 
Argun,  Narrat,  Anderab,  Katlan  :  (this  word  is  much  like  the  Mexi- 
can names  of  places,  as  Aztalan,  Copallan,  and  so  on;)  Anderab, 
Aktau,  Ailak.  Names  of  countries  and  rivers  might  be  greatly 
multiplied,  which  bear  a  strong  affinity,  in  sound  and  formation,  to 
the  word  Arsareth,  which  is  probably  a  Persian  word,  as  well  as 
the  rest  we  have  quoted,  as  from  these  regions,  ancient  Bucharia, 
the  foundation  of  the  Persian  power  was  derived. 

The  reader  can  choose  between  the  three,  whether  America, 
^orway,  or  Bucharia,  is  the  ancient  country  called  Arsareth,  as  one 
of  the  three  is  beyond  a  doubt,  the  place  alluded  to  by  Esdras,  to 
which  the  Ten  Tribes  went. 

In  this  country,  many  thousand  Jews  have  bee.,  discovered,  who 
were  not  known  by  the  Christian  nations,  to  have  existed  at  all  till 
recently.  It  would  appear  from  this  circumstance,  that  the  Ten 
Tribes  may  have  divided,  a  part  going  east,  to  the  country  now  cal- 
led Bucharia ;  and  a  part  west,  to  the  country  now  called  Norway ; 
both  of  which,  at  that  time,  were  the  region  of  almost  endless  soli- 
tudes, and  about  equal  distances  from  Syria :  and  from  Bucharia  to 
Bhcring's  Straits  is  also  about  the  same. 

In  process  of  time,  both  from  Bucharia,  in  Asia,  and  Norway,  in 
Europe,  the  descendants  from  these  Ten  Tribes,  may  have  found  their 
way  into  America.     Those  from  Norway,  by  the  way  of  islands  or 


<* 


14 


72 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITJES 


W'kV 


continent,  which  may  then  liavc  existed,  between  America  and  thiP 
north  of  Europe ;  and  those  from  Bucharia,  by  the  way  of  BherillJ>;^»^ 
Strait,  which,  at  that  time,  it  is  Hkel) ,  was  no  strait,  but  an  isthmus, 
if  not  a  country  of  great  extent,  uniting  Asia  with  America.  The 
account  of  the  Bucharian  Jews  is  as  follows : 

"  After  having  seen  some  years  past,  merchants  from  Tiflis,  Per- 
sia, and  Armenia,  among  the  visitors  at  Leipsic,  we  have  had,  for 
the  first  time,  (1S26,)  two  traders  from  Bucharia,  uiith  shawls,  which 
are  tliere  manufactured  of  the  finest  loool  of  the  f/oats  of  Thibet  and 
Cashmere, hy  the  Jewish  Aimilies,  tvho  forma  third  part  of  the  pojntr- 
lation.  In  Bucharia,  (formerly  the  capital  of  Sogdiana,)  the  Jews 
have  been  very  numerous  ever  since  the  Babylonian  captivity,  and 
are  there  as  remarkable  for  their  industry  and  manufactures,  as  they 
are  in  England  for  their  mojiey  transactions.  It  was  not  till  182G, 
that  the  Russian  gDvernment  succeeded  in  extending  its  diplo- 
matic mission  far  into  Bucharia.  The  above  traders  exchanged 
their  shawls  for  coarse  and  fine  woollen  cloths,  of  such  colours  as  are 
most  esteemed  in  the  east." 

Much  interest  has  been  excited  by  the  information  which  this 
paragraph  conveys,  and  which  is  ecjually  novel  and  imjwrtant.  In 
none  of  the  geographical  works  which  we  have  consulted,  do  we 
find  the  least  hint  as  to  the  existence  in  Bucharia  of  such  a  body  of 
Jews  as  are  here  mentioned,  amounting  to  one  third  of  the  whole 
population  ;  but  as  the  fact  can  no  longer  be  doidited,  the  next  point 
of  inquiry  which  presents  itself  is ;  whence  liaAC  they  proceeded, 
and  how  have  they  come  to  establish  themselves  in  a  region  so  re- 
mote from  their  original  country .'  This  question,  we  think,  can  only 
be  answered,  by  supposing  that  these  pcr.sons  are  the  descendants 
of  the  long  lost  Ten  Tribes,  concerning  the  fuv.is  ot  whicli,  theolo- 
gians, historians,  and  antiquarians,  have  been  alike  puzzled  :  and 
however  wild  this  hypothesis  may  at  first  appear,  there  arc  not 
wanting  circumstances  to  render  it  far  from  being  improbable.  In 
the  17th  chapter  of  the  second  book   of  Kings,  it  is  said,  "  In  the 


f 


ili'  fe 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN    THE  WEST. 


73 


ica  and  lliP 
if  Bhering's 
an  isthmus, 
Tica.     The 

Tiflis,  Per- 
ave  had,  for 
h(iwls,tchich 
Thibet  and 
of  the  popiir 
a,)  the  Jews 
aplivity,  and 
,uves,  as  they 
lot  till  182(3, 
ip;  its   diplo- 
s  exchanged 
colours  as  are 

n  whicli  this 
(iportant.     In 
ultcd,  do  we 
uch  a  hody  of 
of  the  whole 
he  next  point 
ny  proceeded, 
regimi  so  re- 
link, can  only 
;  descendants 
vlucli,  theolo- 
Duzzled :    and 
there  are  not 
probable.     In 
said,  "  In  the 


uiiith  year  of  Hoshea,  the  king  of  Assyria,  took  Samaria,  and  car- 
ried Israel  away  into  Assyria,  and  placed  them  in  Helah  and  Ilaber, 
by  the  river  Gozan,  and  in  the  city  of  the  Medes :"  and  in  the  sub- 
sequent verses,  as  well  as  in  the  writings  of  the  prophets,  it  is  said, 
that  the  Lord  theu  "  put  away  Israel  out  of  his  sight,  and  carried 
them  away  into  the  land  of  Assyria  unto  this  day."     In  the  Apoc- 
rypha, 2d  Esdras,  xiii.,  it  is  said,  that  the  Ten  Tribes  were  carried 
beyond  the  river,  (Euphrates,)  and  so  they  were  brought  into  an- 
other land,  when  they  took  counsel  togetl.  .,  that  they  would  leave 
the  multitude  of  the  heathen,  and  go  forth  into  a  further  country, 
where  never  mankind  dwelt ;   that  they  entered  in  at  the  narrow 
passage  of  the  river  Euphrates,  when  the  springs  of  the  flood  were 
slsiyed,  and   "  went  through  the  country  a  great  journey,  even  a 
year  and  a  half;"  and  it  is  added,  that  "  there  will  they  remain,  un- 
til the  latter  time,  when  they  will  come  forth  again."     The  country 
beyond  Bucharia  was  unknown  to  the  ancients,  and  it  is,  we  be- 
lieve, generally  admitted,  that  the  river  Gozan.  mentioned  in  the 
book  of  Kings,  is  the  same  as  the  Ganges,  which  lias  its  rise  iu 
those  very  countries  in  which  the  Jews  reside,  of  which  the  Liep- 
sic  account  speaks.    *Che  distance  which  these  two  merchants  must 
have  travelled,  cannot  therefore,  be  less  than  three  thousand  miles ; 
and  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  Jews,  whom  they  repre- 
sent as  a  third  part  of  the  population  of  the  countiy,  are  descend- 
ants of  the  Ten  Tribes  of  Israel,  settled  by  tlie  river  Gozan. 

The  great  plain  of  Central  Asia,  forming  four  principal  sides,  viz : 
Little  Bucharia,  Thibet,  Mongolia,  and  Mantehous,  contains  a  sur- 
face of  150,000  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  20,000,000.  This 
vast  country  is  still  very  little  known.  The  great  traits  of  its  gi- 
gantic formation  compose,  for  the  most  part,  all  that  we  are  certain 
of.  It  is  an  immense  plain  ot  an  cxces.sive  elevation,  intersected 
with  barren  rocks  and  vast  deserts  of  black  and  ahnost  moving  sand. 
It  is  supported  on  all  sides  by  mountains  of  granite,  whose  elevated 

summits  determine  the  difterent  climates  of  the  great  continent  of 

10 


II 


74 


Asia,  and  form  the  divi 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

of  its  waters. 


.,1'.  1 


W' 


From  its  exterior  How 
all  the  great  rivers  of  that  part  of  the  world.  In  the  interior  are  a 
quantity  of  rivers,  having  little  declivity,  orno  issue,  which  are  lost 
in  the  sands,  or  perhaps  feed  stagnant  waters.  In  the  southern 
chains,  are  countries,  populous,  rich  and  civilized  ;  Little  Bucharia, 
Great  and  Little  Thihet.  The  people  of  the  north  are  shepherds 
and  wanderers.  Their  riches  consist  in  their  herds,  laeir  habita- 
tions are  tents,  and  towns,  and  camps,  which  ar"(t.rnsported  accord- 
ing to  the  wants  of  pasturage.  The  Bucharian^  enjoy  the  right  of 
trading  to  all  parts  of  Asia,  and  the  Thibetians  cultivate  the  earth 
to  advantage.  The  ancients  had  only  a  confused  idea  of  Central 
Asia.  "  The  inhabitants  of  the  country,"  as  we  learn  from  a  great 
authority, "  are  in  a  higli  state  of  civilization ;  possessing  all  the  use- 
ful manufactures,  and  lofty  houses  built  with  stone.  The  Chinese 
reckon  (but  this  is  evidently  an  exaggeration)  that  Thibet  alone 
contains  33,000,000  of  persons.  The  merchants  of  Cashmere,  on 
their  way  to  Yarkland  in  Little  Bucharia,  pass  through  Little  Thi- 
bet. This  country  is  scarcely  knoAvn  to  European  geographers." 
The  immense  plain  of  Central  Asia  is  hemmed  in,  and  almost  in- 
accessible by  mountain  ranges  of  the  greatest  elevation,  which  sur- 
round it  on  all  sides,  except  China  ;  and  when  the  watchful  jeal- 
ousy of  the  government  of  the  Celestial  Empire,  is  considered,  it 
will  scarcely  be  wondered  at,  that  the  vast  region  in  question  is  sa 
little  known. 

Such  is  the  country  which  tiiese  newly  discovered  Jews  are  said 
to  inhabit  in  such  numbers.  The  following  facts  may  perhaps  serve 
to  throw  some  additional  light  on  this  interesting  subject. 

In  the  year  1822,  a  Mr.  Sargon,  who,  if  we  mistake  not,  was 
one  of  the  agents  of  the  London  Society,  communicated  to  England 
some  interesting  accounts  of  a  number  of  persons  resident  at  Bom- 
bay, Cinnamore,  and  their  vicinity,  who  are  evidently  the  descend- 
ants of  Jews,  calling  themselves  Beni  Israel,  and  bearing  almost 
uniformly  Jewish  names,  but  with  Persian  terminations.      This 


A?fD    DISCOVERIES    IM    THE  WEST 


75 


cterior  flow 
iterior  are  a 
lich  are  lost 
le  soutliern 
e  Bucharia, 
e  shepherd* 
aeir  habita- 
)rted  accord- 
the  right  of 
ite  the  earth 
a  of  Central 
from  a  great 
p;  all  the  use- 
rhe  Chinese 
rhibet  alone 
ashmere,  on 
I  Little  Thi- 
;eographers." 
nd  almost  in- 
n,  which  sur- 
vatchful  jeal- 
considered,  it 
question  is  sa 

Jews  are  said 
perhaps  serve 
ect. 

ake  not,  was 
;d  to  England 
ident  at  Bom- 
r  the  descend- 
earing  almost 
itions.      This 


i 


f 


gentleman,  feeling  very  desirous  of  obtaining  all  possible  knowl- 
edge of  their  condition,  undertook  a  mission  for  this  purpose,  to 
Cinnamore ;  and  the  result  of  his  inquiries  was  a  conviction  that 
they  were  not  Jews  of  the  one  tribe  and  a  half,  being  of  a  different 
race  to  the  white  and  black  Jews  at  Cochin,  and  consequently  that 
they  were  a  remnant  of  the  long  lost  Ten  Tribes.  This  gentleman 
also  concluded,  from  the  information  he  obtained  respecting  the  Be- 
ni  Israel,  or  sons  of  Israel,  that  they  existed  in  great  numbers  in 
the  countries  between  Cochin  and  Bombay,  the  no^th  of  Persia, 
among  the  hordes  of  Tartary,  and  in  Cashmere  ;  the  very  countries 
in  which,  according  to  the  paragraph  in  the  German  paper,  they  ex- 
ist in  such  numbers.  So  far  then,  these  accounts  confirm  each 
other,  and  there  is  every  probability  that  the  Beni  Israel,  resident 
on  the  west  of  the  Indian  peninsula,  had  originally  proceeded  from 
Bucharia.  It  will,  therefore,  be  interesting  to  know  something  of 
their  moral  and  religious  character.  The  folloAving  particulars  are 
collected  from  Mr.  Sargon's  accounts :  1 .  In  dress  and  manners 
they  resemble  the  natives  so  as  not  to  be  distinguished  from  them, 
except  by  attentive  observation  and  inquiry.  2.  They  have  He- 
brew names  of  the  same  kind,  and  with  the  same  local  termination 
as  the  Sepoys  in  the  ninth  regiment  Bombay  native  infantry.  3. 
Some  of  them  read  Hebrew,  and  they  have  a  faint  tradition  of  the 
cause  of  their  original  exodus  from  Egypt.  4.  Their  common  lan- 
guage is  the  Hindoo.  5.  They  keep  idols  and  worship  them,  and 
use  idolatrous  ceremonies  intermixed  with  Hebrew.  6.  They 
circumcise  their  children.  7.  They  observe  the  Kipper,  or  great 
expiation  day  of  the  Hebrews,  but  not  the  Sabbath,  or  any 
of  the  feast  or  fast  days.  8.  They  call  themselves  Gorah  Jehudi, 
or  white  Jews ;  and  they  term  the  black  Jews  Collah  Jehudi.  9. 
They  speak  of  the  Arabian  Jews  as  their  brethren,  but  do  not  ac- 
knowledge the  European  Jews  as  such.  They  use,  on  all  occa- 
sions, and  under  the  most  trivial  circumstances,  the  usual  Jewish 
prayer—"  Hear,  0  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord."     10. 


76 


AMERirAN  antiquities; 


I'l  ) 


m  u 


They  Lave  nu((»lit'n,  (priest)  kvite,  or  kasi,  amone;  tlioni,  iiiidif 
those  terms;  but  th»y  have  a  kasi,  (reader,)  who  performs  prayers, 
and  conducts  their  religious  ceremonies  :  and  they  appear  to  have 
elders  and  a  chief  in  each  ( onimunity,  who  determine  in  their  re- 
ligious concerns.  11.  'I  hey  expect  the  Messiah,  and  tliat  they  will 
one  day  return  to  Jeru.saleni.  They  think  that  the  time  of  his  ap- 
pearance will  soon  arrive,  at  which  they  much  rejoice,  believing 
that  at  Jerusalem  they  will  see  their  Cod,  worship  liim  only,  and 
be  despised  no  more. 

These  particulars,  we  should  p'-"su]rie,  can  scarcely  fail  to  prove 
interesting,  both  in  a  moral  and  religious,  as  well  as  in  a  geograph- 
ical point  of  vi«vv.  The  number  of  the  scattered  members  of  the 
tribes  of  Ju<lali,  and  the  half  tribe  of  Ik'njamin,  rather  exceed  than 
fall  short  of  five  millions.  Now,  if  this  number  be  added  to  the 
many  other  millions  to  be  found  in  the  diflerent  countries  of  the 
east,  what  an  immense  power  would  be  brought  into  action,  were 
the  spirit  of  nationality  once  roused,  or  any  extraordinary  event  to 
occur,  which  should  induce  them  to  unite  in  claiming  possession  of 
that  land  which  was  given  to  them  for  an  "  heritage  forever,"  and 
to  which,  in  every  other  clime  of  the  eartli,  their  fondest  hopes  and 
their  dearest  aspirations  never  cease  to  turn." 


m  ■ 


■i 


A  FURTHER  ACCOINT  OF  THE  CONVULSIONS  OF  TIIE  GLOBE, 
WITH  THE  REMOVAL  OF  IS]>ANDS. 


I'V 


If  the  supposition  of  naturalists  may  obtain  belief,  it  follows, 
that  there  may  have  been  a  whole  continent,  reaching  from  the 
north  of  Europe  to  Bhering's  Strait ;  uniting,  not  only  Europe  with 
America,  on  the  cast,  but  also  Asia,  on  the  north,  and  may  have 
continued  on  south  from  Tihering's  Strait,  some  way  down  the  Pa- 
cific, as  Buflbn  partly  believed,  uniting  America  and  China  on 
the  west. 


■'''Xl 


ni,  iindt^r 
s  prayers, 
ir  to  have 
n  llieir  re- 
t  they  will 
of  his  ap- 
,  believing 
1  only,  and 

ail  lo  prove 
a  geograph- 
[ibers  of  the 
exceed  than 
idded  to  the 
ntrics  of  the 
action,  were 
lary  event  to 
possession  of 
orever,"  and 
?sl  hopes  and 


TIIF.  GLOBE, 

f,  it  follows, 
nji  from  the 
Europe  with 
ikI  may  have 
own  the  Pa- 
id China  on 


ANU  DISCOVERIES*   IN   THE   WEST.  77 

It  was  contended  by  Clavisero,  that  the  equatorial  parts  of  Afri- 
i'A  and  America  were  once  united  :  liy  which  means,  before  the 
connexion  was  torn  away  by  the  irruption  of  the  sea  on  both  sides, 
the  inhabitants  from  the  African  continent  came,  in  the  earliest 
ages,  to  South  America.  Whether  this  be  true  or  not,  the  two 
countries  approach  each  other,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  along  the 
coast  of  Guinea,  on  the  side  of  Africa,  and  the  coast  of  Pernambuco, 
on  the  side  of  South  America.  These  arc  the  places  which,  in  re- 
ality, seem  to  stretch  towards  each  other,  as  if  they  had  been  once 
united. 

The  innumerable  i.slands  scattered  all  over  the  Pacific  ocean,  po- 
pulous with  men,  more  than  intimates  a  period,  even  since  the 
flood,  when  all  tiie  ditferent  continents  of  the  globe  were  united  to» 
gether,  and  the  sea  so  disposed  of,  that  they  did  not  break  this  har- 
jnony,  so  well  calculated  to  facilitate  the  migrations  of  men  and  an- 
imals. 

It  is  not  likely  that  immediately  after  the  era  of  the  deluge,  there 
was  as  much  ocean  wliich  appeared  above  ground  as  at  the  present 
lime  ;  but  instead  of  this,  lakes  were  more  numerous.  Conse- 
quently, on  the  surface  of  the  globe  there  was  much  more  land 
than  at  the  present  time.  But  from  various  convulsions,  more  than 
we  have  spoken  of,  whose  history  is  now  lost,  in  past  ages,  many 
parts,  nay,  nearly  all  the  earthy  surfac  ,  is  sunken  to  the  depths 
below,  while  the  waters  have  risen  above  ;  nearly  three-fourths  of 
the  globe's  -surface  is  known  to  be  water.  How  appalling  ?'s  this 
reflection  ! 

The  currents  of  sea  running  through  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
by  the  disposition  of  its  Creator,  to  promote  motion  in  the  waters, 
as  motion  is  essential  to  all  animal  life,  have,  doubtless,  by  subter- 
ranean attrition  wearing  away  the  earth,  affectod  the  foundations 
of  whole  islands,  which  have  sunk  beneath  the  waters  at  difl'eiiiSt 
periods.  To  such  couvnlsions  as  these,  it  Would  seem,  Job  has  al- 
luded in  his  ninth  chapter,  at  th'    fifth  verse,  as  follows :  "  Whicli 


Ijf! 

1 

1  ■ 

fnluiii 

H 

/ 

HI 

*t 

1 

mR 

1 

]■ 

7ft  AMERICAN    ANTtQUITIEi 

removeth  tlie  mountains,  and  ihey  know  not  ;  which  overturneth 
them  in  his  anger."  Adam  Clark's  comment  on  this  verse  is  as 
follows :  "  This  scorns  to  refer  to  eartliquakcs.  By  these  strong 
convulsions,  mountains,  valleys,  hills,  even  tvlioh  islands  are  re- 
moved in  an  instant  ;  and  to  this  latter  circumstance  the  words, 
"  they  know  no/,"  most  probably  refer.  The  work  is  done  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  ;  no  warning  is  given  ;  the  mountain  that 
seemed  to  be  as  firm  as  the  earth  on  which  it  rested,  was  in  the 
same  moment  both  visible  and  invisible  ;  so  suddenly  was  it  swal- 
lowed up." 

It  can  scarcely  be  supposed  but  Job  was  either  personally  or  by 
information,  acquainted  with  occurrences  of  the  kind,  in  order  to 
justify  the  thing  as  being  done  by  God  in  his  anger. 

It  is  not  impossible  but  the  fact  upon  which  the  following  story 
is  founded,  may  have  been  known  to  Job,  who  was  a  man  suppos- 
ed in  possession  of  every  j;pecies  of  infonnation  calculated  to  inter- 
est the  nobler  faculties  of  the  human  mind,  if  we  may  judge  from 
the  book  bearing  his  own  mime.  The  story  is  an  account  of  a  cer- 
tain island,  called  by  the  ancients  Atalantis  ;  and  for  ought  that  can 
be  urged  again.st  its  having  existed,  we  are  inclined  to  believe  it  did, 
as  that  all  learning,  uninspired,  and  general  information,  was  an- 
<nently  in  the  possession  of  heathen  philosophers  and  priests,  to  whom 
it  was  the  custom,  even  for  princes  to^  resort,  and  learn  of,  be- 
fore they  were  considered  qualified  to  sit  on  the  thrones  of  their 
fathers.  Such  were  the  Egyptian  priests  to  the  Egyptians,  and 
the  Druids  to  the  Celtic  nations ;  the  Brahmins  to  the  Hindoos  ; 
the  Magi  to  the  Persians  ;  the  Philosophers  to  the  Greeks  and  Ro- 
mans ;  and  the  Prophets  of  the  Indians,  to  the  western  Tribes. 

"  This  island  is  mentioned  by  Plato,  in  his  dialogue  of  Timaeus. 
^on,  the  Athenian  lawgiver,  is  supposed  to  have  travelled  into 
■Upt,"  about  sixs  hundred  years  before  Christ.  Plato's  time  %vas 
three  hundred  years  nearer  the  time  of  Christ,  who  has  mentioned 
the  travels  of  Solon  into  Egypt.     "  He  arrives  at  an  ancient  tem- 


tms 


AND   DISCOERIES   IN   THIC  WIl^T- 


79 


overturneth 
8  verse  is  as 

these  stronR 
lands  are  re- 
e  the  words, 
s  done  in  the 
mountain  that 
(1,  was  in  the 
I  was  it  swal- 

ersonally  or  by 
nd,  in  order  to 

r. 

following  story 
a  man  suppos- 
3ulatcd  to  inter- 
uay  judge  from 
ccount  of  a  cer- 
r  ought  that  can 
to  believe  it  did, 
mation,  was  an- 
priests,  to  whom 
nd  learn  of,  be- 
;  thrones  of  their 

Egyptians,  and 
to  the  Hindoos  ; 

Greeks  and  Ro- 
estern  Tribes, 
ogue  of  Timaeus. 
lave  travelled  into 

Plato's  time  was 
vho  has  mentioned 
at  an  ancient  tem- 


})le  0.1  the  Delta,  a  fertile  island  formed  by  the  Nile,  where  he  held 
a  conversation  with  certain  learned  priests^  on  the  antiquities  of  re- 
mote ages.  When  one  of  them  gave  Solon  a  description  of  the  isl- 
and Atalantis,  and  also  of  its  destruction.  This  island,  said  the 
Egyptian  priest,  was  situated  in  the  Western  Ocean,  opposite  the 
Straits  of  Gibraltar  ;"  which  would  place;  it  exactly  between  a  part 
of  Europe,  its  .soutliern  end,  and  the  northern  part  of  Africa  and  the 
continent  of  America. 

"  There  was,  said  the  priest,  an  easy  passage  from  this  to  other 
islands,  which  lay  adjacent  to  a  large  continent,  exceeding  in  size 
nil  Europe  and  Asia."  Neptune  settled  in  this  island,  from  whose 
son  Atlas^  its  name  was  derived,  and  he  divided  it  between  his  ten 
sons,  who  reigned  there  in  regular  succession  for  many  ages." 

From  the  time  of  Solon's  travels  in  Egypt,  which  was  six  hun- 
dred years  before  Christ,  we  find  more  than  seventeen  hundred 
years  up  to  the  flood  ;  so  that  thm  enough  had  elapsed  since  the 
flood  to  justify  the  fact  of  the  island  having  existed,  and  also  of 
having  been  inhabited  and  destroyed  even  six  hundred  years  be-'**' 
fore  the  time  of  Solon  ;  which  would  make  the  time  of  its  destruc- 
tion twelve  hundred  years  before  Christ  ;  and  would  still  leave 
more  than  five  hundred  years  from  that  period  back  to  the  flood. 
So  that  if  King  Neptune  had  not  made  his  settlement  on  the  island 
Atalantis,  till  two  hundred  years  after  the  flood,  there  would  have 
been  time  for  the  successive  reigns  of  each  of  the  regal  lines  of  his 
sons,  amounting  to  three  hundred  years,  before  the  time  of  its  en- 
velopement  in  the  sea  ;  so  tliat  the  priest  was  justified  in  using  the 
term  antiquities,  when  he  referred  to  that  catastrophe. 

*'  They  made,  i.  e.  the  Atalantians,  irruptions  into  Europe  and 
Africa  ;  subduing  all  Lybia,  as  far  as  Egypt,  Europe,  and  Asia 
Minor.  They  were  resisted,  however,  by  the  Athenians,  and  dri- 
ven back  to  their  Atlantic  territories."  If  they  were  resisted  and 
driven  back  by  the  Athenians,  the  era  of  the  existence  of  this  isl- 
and is  easily  ascertained  ;  because  the  Athenians  settled  at  Athens, 


80 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


M  Mill 


in  Greece,  fifteen  hundred  and  fifty-six  years  before  Christ,  beiiif; 
a  colony  from  Egypt,  under  their  conductor  Ceaops.  One  hun- 
dred years  after  their  establishment  at  Athens,  they  had  become 
powerful,  so  as  to  be  able  to  take  a  political  stand  among  the  na- 
tions of  that  region,  and  to  defend  their  country  against  invasions. 
Accordingly,  at  the  time  the  Atalanteans  \vere  repulsed  and  compel- 
led to  return  from  whence  they  came,  was  in  the  year  fourteen 
hundred  and  fifty-three  before  Christ. 

"  Shortly  after  this,"  says  Plato,  "  there  was  a  tremendous 
earthquake  and  an  overflowing  of  the  sea,  which  continued  for  a 
day  and  a  night  ;  in  the  course  of  which  the  vast  island  of  Atalan- 
tis,  and  all  its  splendid  cities  and  warlike  nations,  were  swallowed 
up,  and  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  which  spreading  its  waters 
over  the  chasm,  added  a  vast  region  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  For  a 
long  time,  however,  the  sea  was  not  navigable,  on  account  of  rocks 
and  shoals,  of  mud  and  slime,  and  of  the  ruins  of  that  drowned 
country."  This  occurreiire,  if  the  tradition  be  true,  happened 
"  about  twelve  hundred  years  before  Christ,  three  hundred  years 
before  the  time  of  Job,  and  seven  himdred  and  fifty  years  after  the 
flood.  At  the  period,  therefore,  of  the  existence  of  this  island,  a  land 
passage  to  America,  from  Europe  and  Africa,  was  practicable  ;  also 
by  other  islands,  some  of  which  arc  still  situated  in  the  same  direc- 
tion— the  Azores,  JNIadeiras,  and  Tcneritlc  islands,  about  twenty  ii» 
number. 

For  this  story  of  the  Island  of  Atalantis,  we  are  indebted  to  Ir- 
ving's  Columbus,  a  popular  work,  of  recent  date  ;  which  cannot  be 
denied  but  is  exceedingly  curious,  and  not  without  some  foundation 
of  probability.  Was  not  this  island  the  bridge,  so  called,  reaching 
from  America,  to  Europe,  as  conjectured  by  Dr.  Robertson,  the  his- 
torian, but  was  destroyed  by  the  ocean,  as  he  supposes,  very  far 
back  in  the  ages  of  antiquity. 

We  shall  nowa^^ttend  more  particularly  to  the  evidences  of  an 
ancient  population  in  this  country,  anterior  to  that  of  the  present 


\NU    UlSCDVtKll::^    IN    TllK   WKSl- 


81 


irist,  being 
One  liuii-  ; 

vad  become 
ong  the  na- 
it  invasions, 
and  compel- 
iwv  fouiteeu 

tremendo\is 
itinued  for  a 
id  of  Alalan- 
re  swallowed 
ing  its  waters 
cean.     For  a 
!ount  of  rocks 
that  drowned 
le,  happened 
undred   years 
years  after  the 
i  island,  a  land 
icticable  ;  also 
lie  same  direc- 
bout  twenty  in 

indebted  to  Ir- 
hich  cannot  be 
ome  foundation 
ailed,  reaching 
»ertson,  the  his- 
iposes,  very  far 

evidences  of  an 
L  of  the  present 


J  ace  of  Indians,  aflorded  in  the  discovery  of  Forts,  Mounds,  Tumuli, 
•di\d  their  contents,  as  related  by  western  travellers,  mid  the  re- 
searches of  the  aiilifiuarian  society.  But  before  we  proceed  to  an  ac- 
count of  the  trahs  of  this  kind  of  popidalion,  more  than  already  giv- 
en, we  will  remark,  that  wherever  plats  of  ground,  struck  out  into 
circlen,  squcuts,  and  omls,  are  Ibiind,  we  are  at  once  referred  to  an 
era  when  a  people  and  nations  existed  in  this  country,  more  civiliz- 
ed, refined,  and  given  to  areiiitectural  and  agricultural  pursuits, 
than  the  Indians. 

It  is  well  known  the  present  tribes  do  not  take  the  trouble  of  ma- 
terially altering  the  face  of  the  ground  to  accommodate  the  erection 
of  their  places  of  dwelling  ;  always  selecting  that  which  is  already 
fashioned  by  nature  to  .suit  their  views  ;  using  the  earth,  where 
they  build  thtir  towns,  as  they  lind  it. 

The  travels  of  A.sii,  an  English  gentleman,  performed  in  1826, 
through  the  western  eounliies,  furnisli  us  with  many  interesting  ac- 
counts of  this  description.  In  a  tieep  and  almost  hidden  valley 
among  the  mountains  of  the  Alleghany,  on  the  road  from  Philadel- 
phia to  Pittsbuigli,  was  found  by  this  traveller,  one  of  those  solitary 
memorials  of  an  exterminated  race. 

"  It  is  hid  amidst  the  ])iofoundest  gloom  of  the  woods;  he  spent 
three  hours  in  ex2)loriiig  it  ;  and  Annul  it  to  consist  of  a  regular  cir- 
cle, and  hundred  paces  in  diameter."  Ibis  is  etpial  to  six  rods 
and  four  paees  ;  and  twenty-two  rods  in  circumference.  The 
whole  plot  is  raised  above  the  conmion  level  of  the  earth  around, 
about  "  four  feet  high,"  which  may  have  been  done  to  carry  off  the 
water,  when  the  snows  melted,  or  when  violent  rains  would  other- 
Avise  have  inundated  their  dwellings  from  the  surrounding  hills. 
"  The  neighborhood  of  Brownsville  or  Redstone,  in  Pennsylvania, 
he  says,  abounds  with  monuments  of  antiquity.  A  fortified  camp, 
of  a  very  complete  and  curious  kind,  on  the  ramparts  of  which  is 
timber  of  five  feet  in  diameter,  stands  near  the  town  of  Brownville. 

This  camj)  contain    about  thirteen  acres,  enclosed  in  a  circle,  the 

1 1 


y 


He 


B'2 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


1  '  ■    ^- 


;V''  I 


tm  '„ 


i?ti.: 


*(«;? 


!«(' 


elevation  of  which  is  seven  feet  above  the  adjoining  ground  ;  this 
was  an  herculean  woric  Within  the  circle  a  pentagon  is  accurttely 
described ;  having  its  sides  four  feet  high,  and  its  angles  uniformly 
three  feet  from-  the  outside  ol'  the  circle,  thus  leaving  an  un- 
broken communication  all  around  ;  a  pentagon  is  a  figure,  hav- 
ing five  angles  or  sides.  Each  side  cf  the  pentagon  has  a  post- 
em,  or  small  gateway,  opening  into  the  passage  between  it  and  the 
circle  ;  but  the  circle  itself  has  only  one  grand  gateway  outward. 
Exactly  in  the  centre  stands  a  mound  about  thirty  feet  high,  sup- 
posed to  have  been  a  place  of  look-out.  At  a  small  distance  from 
this  place,  was  found  a  stone,  eight  feet  by  five,  on  which  was  ac- 
curately engraved,  a  representation  of  the  whole  work,  with  the 
mound  in  the  centre  ;  whereon  was  the  likeness  of  a  human  head, 
which  signified  that  the  chief  ^^ho  presided  there,  lay  buried  be- 
neath it.  The  engraving  on  this  stone,  is  evid'^nce  of  the  know- 
ledge of  stone  cutting,  as  it  was  executed  with  a  considerable 
degree  of  aceuraev- 

On  comparing  the  description  of  this  circular  monument  with  a 
description  of  works  of  a  similar  character,  found  in  Denmark, 
Sweden  and  Iceland,  the  conclusion  is  drawn,  that  at  some  era  of 
time  the  authors  of  this  kind  of  monumental  works,  in  either  of 
those  countries,  have  been  the  same. 

"  They  are  called  Domh-rivfjr,  by  the  Danes  ;  that  is,  literally, 
Doom  Ring,  or  Circle  of  Jidgment  ;  being  the  solemn  place 
where  courts  were  held."  The  celebrated  stone  henge  in  England, 
is  built  after  the  same  fashion,  that  is,  in  a  circle,  and  is  of  Belgic 
origin  ;  the  second  clars  of  English  antiquities,  the  era  of  which 
precedes  that  of  the  Rovnans  in  England  ;  which  would  throw  the 
time  of  their  first  erection  back  to  a  period  of  some  hundred  years 
before  Christ. 

"  StonEHENGE  :  This  noble  and  curious  monument  of  early 
timep,  appears  to  have  been  formed  by  three  principal  Circles  of 
stone,  the  outer  connected  togethcf  by  an  uniform  pavement,  as  it 


4 


AN'D  DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST- 


83 


Hid  ;  this 
iccurttely 
uniformly 
r   an  un- 
;ure,  hav- 
las  a  post- 
it  and  the 
f  outward, 
high,  sup- 
tance  from 
ch  was  ac- 
with  the 
iman  head, 
buried  be- 
the  know- 
:onJiiderable 

ment  with  a 
a  Denmark, 
gome  era  of 
in  e  ither  of 

t  is,  literally, 
solemn  place 
I  in  England, 
I  is  of  Belgic 
era  of  which 
lid  throw  the 
lundred  years 

lent  of  early 
pal  Circles  of 
avcment,  as  it 


4 


were,  at  the  lop,  to  which  the  chiefs  might  ascend  and  speak  to  the 
surrounding  crowd.  A  second  Circle  consists  of  detached  upright 
stones,  about  five  feet  in  height,  wliile  the  highest  are  eighteen. 
Within  this  is  a  grand  Oval,  consisting  of  five  buge  stones,  crossed 
by  another  at  the  top,  and  enclosing  smaller  stones,  which  seem  tf) 
have  been  seats,  and  a  large  flat  stone,  commonly  called  the  altar, 
but  which  seems  to  have  been  the  throne  or  seat  of  judgment.  The 
whole  of  the  above  described  monument,  with  all  its  apparatus, 
"  seems  to  be  enclosed  in  the  midst  of  a  very  extensive  Circle,  or 
embankment  of  earth,  sufficiently  large  to  hold  an  immense  num- 
ber ;  a  whole  tribe  or  nation." — Morse. 

After  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  the  west  of  Europe, 
which  was  sixty  years  after  Christ,  these  Circles  of  Judgment, 
which  had  been  polluted  with  human  sacrifices,  and  other  pagan 
rites,  were  abandoned,  and  other  customs,  with  otlier  places  of  re- 
sort, were  instituted.  This  sort  of  antiquities,  says  Morse,  the  geo- 
grapher, which  are  found  all  over  Europe,  are  of  this  character, 
that  is,  of  the  tumular  kind,  su^h  as  ave  found  in  the  west  of  our 
country  ;  belong  entirely  to  the  first  era  of  the  settlements  of  Eu- 
rope. 

The  DuuiDic  temples  in  Europe  were  numerjH  j,  and  some  of 
them  immense,  especially  one  in  the  isle  of  Lewis  j  In  these  the 
gods  Odin,  Thor,  Freyga,  and  other  Gothic  D.ii;ies,  were  adored  ; 
all  such  structures  were  enclosed  in  Circles,  "ue  greater  a»ii^  wme 
less,  according  to  their  importance,  or  thn  numbers  of  those  who 
supported  them.  These  are  of  the  first  order  of  Antiquities  found 
in  Europe  ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  eldest,  and  go  back  very  far 
toward  the  flood,  for  their  commencement. 

The  same  kind  of  antiquities  are  found  in  Ireland,  and  are  allow- 
ed to  be  of  Druidic  origin,  always  enclosed  in  Circles,  whether  a 
simple  stone,  or  a  more  spaciouit  temple,  be  th(  place  where  they 
worshipped.  The  Scandinavians,  who  preceded  the  Norwegians 
some  hundred  years,  enclosed  their  rude  chapels  \vith  circular  in- 


•|i 


I, 


84 


AMERICAM    ANTTQUITIF.S 


Irenchmeiits,  and  wire  called  the    Uaiw''!s   liulhs,  or  ciroular  in- 
trenchments. 

"  In  the  first  ages  of  tlie  worhl,  the  worship  of  God  was  exceed- 
ingly simple  ;  there  were  no  temples  nor  covered  edifices  of  any 
kind  :  An  altar,  sometimes  a  single  stone  ;  sometimes  it  consisted 
of  several  ;  and  at  other  times  merely  of  turj\  was  all  that  was  ne- 
cessary ;  on  this  the  firt;  was  lighted,  and  the  sacrifice  olVerod." — 
Adam  Clark. 

Such  were  the  Druids  of  iuirope,  whose  name  is  derived  from 
the  kind  of  forest  in  which  they  preferred  to  worship  ;  tliis  was  the 
oak,  which  in  the  Greek,  is  expressed  by  the  word  Druid,  whoso 
worship  and  jninciples  extend  even  to  Italy,  among  the  Celtic  na- 
tions, and  is  celebrated  by  Virgil,  in  the  sixth  book  of  the  iEneas, 
where  he  speaks  of  the  Misletoe,  and  calls  it  the  (jolden  branch, 
without  which  no  one  could  return  from  the  infernal  regions. 

The  Misletoe ; — a  description  of  wliich  may  please  the  reader, 
as  given  by  pliny,  who  flourished  about  23  A.  D.  and  was  a  cele- 
brated writer  of  natural  history,  and  most  learned  of  the  ancient 
Romans.  "  The  Druids  hold  nothing  more  sacred  than  the  Misle- 
toe, and  the  tree  on  which  it  grows,  provided  it  be  the  Oak.  They 
make  choice  of  gro\  es  of  oak,  on  this  account ;  nor  do  they  per- 
form any  of  their  sacred  lites,  without  tlie  leaves  of  those  trees. 
And  whenever  they  find  it  on  xhc  oak,  they  think  it  is  .sent  from 
Heaven,  and  is  a  sign  that  God  hini.sclf  has  chosen  that  tree ;  and 
whenever  found,  is  treated  with  great  ceremony- 

They  call  it  by  a  name  which  in  their  language  signifies  the  curer 
of  all  ills;  and  having  duly  prepared  their  feasts  and  sacrifices  un- 
der the  tree,  they  bring  to  it  t.vo  white  bulls  ;  the  priest  dres.sed  in 
a  white  robe,  ascends  the  tree,  and  with  r.  golden  pruning  hook, 
cuts  off  the  Misletoe,  which  is  received  in  a  Sarjum,  or  white  sheet. 
Then  they  sacrifice  the  victims,  praying  that  (jod  would  bless  his 
own  gift,  to  those  on  whom  he  has  bestowed  it." — Clarke. 


AND   niSCOVKRIF.S   IN   TIIF.  WEST. 


8  exceetV- 
js  of  any 
consistc;! 
it  was  ne- 
IVerod."— 

ived  from 
lis  was  the 
lid,  whose 

CeUic  na- 
he  iEneas, 
len  branch, 
vions. 

the  reader, 
was  a  cele- 
the  ancient 
1  thy  Mish?- 
Oalc.  They 
lo  they  pcr- 

those  trees, 
is  sent  from 

at  tree ;  and 

tier>  the  ciircr 
sacrifices  im- 
:>st  dressed  in 
minji;  hook, 
•  white  sheet. 
»\ihl  hless  his 
arke. 


DISCOVERIES  ON  THE   MUSKINGUM. 

Tn  the  neighhorhood  of  Fort  Harmer,  on  the  Muskingum,  oppo- 
site Marietta,  on  the  Ohio,  were  discovered,  by  Mr.  Ash,  the  Eng- 
lish traveller,  1826,  several  monuments  of  the  ancient  nation. 

'*  Having  made  (says  this  traveller,)  arrangements  for  an  absence 
of  a  few  days,  I  provided  myself  with  an  excellent  tinder-box,  some 
biscuit  and  salt,  and  arming  my  Indian  travelling  companion  with  a 
good  axe  and  rifle,  taking  myself  a  fowling  piece,  often  tried,  and  my 
faithful  dog,  I  crossed  the  ferry  of  the  Muskingum,  having  learned 
that  the  left  hand  side  of  that  river  was  most  accessible,  and  the 
most  abundant  in  curiosities,  and  other  objects  of  my  research. 
[In  another  part  of  this  work,  we  shall  describe  works  of  a  similar 
sort,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Muskingum,  as  given  by  the  An- 
tiquarian Society  of  Ohio.] 

"  On  traversing  the  valley  between  !''ort  TIarmer  and  the  moun- 
tains, I  determined  to  take  the  higli  grounds,  and  after  some  diffi- 
culty ascended  an  eminence  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  town 
of  Marietta,  and  of  the  ri\-er,  up  and  down,  di,splayii\g  to  a  great 
distance  along  the  narrow  vailey  of  Ihe  Oliio,  cultivated  plains,  the 
gardens,  and  poplar  Avalks  of  that  beaiitiful  town. 

"  After  a  very  short  inspection  and  cursory  examination,  it  was 
evident  that  the  very  spot,  or  eminence,  on  which  I  stood,  had  been 
occupied  by  the  Indians,  either  as  a  place  of  observation,  or  a  strong 
hold.  The  exact  summit  of  the  hill  I  found  to  be  nrlificial :  it  ex- 
pressed an  oval,  forty-five  feet  by  twenty-three,  and  was  composed 
apparently  of  earth  and  stone,  though  no  stone  of  a  similar  charac- 
ter appeared  in  that  place. 

"  The  base  of  the  whole  was  girded  round  about,  by  a  wall  of 
earth  in  a  state  of  too  great  decay  to  justify  any  calculation,  and  the 
vvhole  was  ,so  covered  with  heavy  timber,  that  I  despaired  of  gain- 


0i 


ii'J 


Ac. 


9Q 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


'i'ii  .* '  »' 


■I '111 


m-  -fi^ 


i 


ing  any  further  knowledge,  and  would  have  left  the  place,  had  I 
not  been  detained  by  my  Indian  companion,  wliom  I  saw  occupied 
in  endeavoring  to  introduce  a  pole  into  a  small  opening,  between 
two  flat  stones,  near  tlie  root  of  a  tree,  which  grow  on  the  very 
summit  of  this  eminence. 

"  The  stones  we  found  were  too  heavy  to  be  removed  by  the  mere 
power  of  hands.  Two  good  oak  poles  were  cut,  in  lieu  of  levers 
and  crov/s.  Clapping  these  into  the  orifice  first  discovered,  we 
weighed  a  large  flag  stone,  tilting  it  over,  wlicn  we  each  assumed 
a  guarded  position,  in  silent  expectation  of  hearing  the  hissing  of 
serpents,  or  the  rustlinc,  of  the  ground  hog's  litter.  Where  the  In- 
dian had  supposed,  was  a  den  of  one  sort  or  the  other. 

"  All  was  silent.  We  resumed  our  labour,  casting  out  a  number 
of  stones,  leaves,  and  eurth,  soon  clearing  a  surface  of  seven  feet 
by  five,  which  had  been  covered,  upwards  of  fifteen  inches  deep, 
with  flat  stones,  principally  lying  against  each  other,  with  their  edges 
to  the  horizon. 

"  On  the  surface  v.e  had  cleared,  appeared  another  difiiculty, 
which  was  a  plain  superfices,  composed  of  but  three  flat  stones,  of 
such  apparent  magnitude  that  the  Indian  began  to  think  that  we 
should  find  under  them  neither  snake  nor  pig,  but  having  once  be- 
gun, I  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  my  task. 

"  Stimulated  by  obstructions,  and  animated  with  other  views  than 
those  of  my  compn.  ;ion,  I  had  made  a  couple  of  hickory  shovels 
with  the  >  :  ,  an  ;  netting  to  work,  soon  undermined  the  surface,  and 
slid  the  stiies  off  on  one  sid*^    and  laid  the  space  open  to  view. 

"  I  expected  to  find  a  cavern  :  my  imagination  was  warmed  by 
a  certain  design,  I  thought  I  discovered,  from  the  very  beginning  ; 
the  manner  the  stones  were  placed  led  me  to  conceive  the  existence 
of  a  vault  filled  with  the  riches  of  antiquity,  and  crowded  with  the 
treasures  of  the  most  ancient  world. 

"  A  bed  of  sand  was  all  that  appeared  under  these  flat  stones, 
which  I  cast  off,  and  as  I  knew  there  was  no  sand  nearer  than  the 


to 


ter 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST. 


87 


ce,  had  I 

orcupied 

between 
I  the  very 

y  the  mere 
I  of  levers 
vered,  we 
h  assumed 
hissing  of 
ere  the  In- 

it  a  number 

seven  feet 

nches  deep, 

L  their  edges 

:r  difficulty, 
at  stones,  of 
ink  that  we 
jng  once  be- 

r  views  than 
kory  shovels 

surface,  and 
1  to  view. 
s  warmed  by 
y  beginning  ; 
the  existence 

ded  with  the 

le  flat  stones, 
earer  than  the 


4 


1 


bed  of  the  Muskingum,  a  design  was  therefore  the  more  manifest, 
which  encouraged  my  proceeding ;  the  sand  was  about  a  foot  deep, 
which  I  soon  removed. 

"  The  design  and  labour  of  man,  was  now  unequivocal.  The 
space  out  of  which  these  materials  were  taken,  left  a  hollow  in  an 
oblong  square,  lined  with  stone  on  the  ends  and  sides,  and  also,  pa- 
ved on  what  appeareii  to  be  the  bottom,  with  square  stones,  of 
about  nine  inches  diameter. 

"  I  picked  these  up  with  the  nicest  care,  and  again  came  to  abed 
of  sand,  which,  when  removed,  made  the  vault  about  three  feet  deep, 
presenting  another  bottom  or  surface,  composed  of  small  square  cut 
stones,  fitted  with  such  art,  that  I  had  much  difficulty  in  discover- 
ing many  of  the  places  where  they  met.  These  displaced,  I  came 
to  a  substance,  which,  on  the  most  critical  examination,  I  judged 
to  be  a  mat,  or  mats,  in  a  state  of  entire  decomposition  and  decay. 
My  reverence  and  care  increased  with  the  progress  already  made ; 
I  took  up  this  impalpable  powder  with  my  hands,  and  fanned  off 
the  remaining  dust  with  my  hat,  when  there  appeared  a  beautiful 
tesselated  pavement  of  small,  coloured  stones :  the  colours  and  stones 
arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  express  harmony  and  shades,  and 
portraying  at  full  length  the  figure  of  a  warrior ;  under  whose  feet 
a  snake  was  exhibited  in  ample  folds. 

"  The  body  of  the  figures  was  composed  of  dyed  woods,  bones, 
and  a  variety  of  small  bits  of  terrous  and  testaceous  substances, 
most  of  which  crumbled  into  dust,  on  being  removed,  and  exposed 
to  the  open  air. 

"  My  regret  and  disappointment  wcic  very  great,  as  I  had  flat- 
tered myself  that  the  whole  was  stone,  and  capable  of  being  taken 
up  and  preserved.  Little  more,  however,  than  the  actual  pave- 
ment could  be  preserved,  which  was  composed  of  flat  stones,  one 
inch  deep,  and  two  inches  square.  The  prevailing  colours  were 
white,  green,  dark  blue,  and  pale  spotted  red  ;  all  of  which  are  pe- 


i^i 


;  ail 

Wr 

If*    \    ,t 


•Mi 

■I 


■*..' 


!i  i 


'\fi\i 


88 


AMERICAN    ANTIUirniS 


t;uliar  to  tlic  lukt.s,  «iid  not  to  be  had  nearer  tlmu  about  three  liuu- 
dred  miles. 

"  The  whole  was  affixed  in  a  thin  layer  of  sand,  fitted  toy;ether 
Avith  great  precision,  and  covered  a  piece  of  bark  in  great  decay, 
whose  removal  exposed  what  I  was  fully  prepared  to  discover,  from 
all  previous  indications,  the  remains  of  a  human  skeleton,  which 
was  of  an  uncommon  magnitude,  being  seven  feet  in  length.  With 
the  skeleton  was  found,  first,  an  earthen  vessel,  or  urn,  in  which 
were  several  bones,  and  some  white  sediment. 

"The  urn  appeared  to  be  made  of  sand  and  flint  vitrified,  and  rung 
when  struck,  like  glass,  and  held  about  two  gallons,  had  a  top 
or  cover  of  the  same  material,  and  resisted  fire  as  completely  as  iron 
or  brass.  Second  ;  a  stone  axe,  with  a  groove  round  the  pole,  by 
which  it  had  been  fastened  with  a  withe  to  the  handle.  Third  ; 
twenty-four  arrow  points,  made  of  flint  and  bone,  and  lying  in  a 
position  which  showed  they  had  belonged  to  a  (juiver.  Fourth  ;  a 
quantity  of  beads,  round,  oval  and  square  ;  coloured  green,  black, 
white,  blue  and  yellow.  Fifth  ;  a  very  large  conch  shell,  decom- 
posed into  a  substance  like  chalk  ;  this  shell  was  fourteen  inches 
long,  and  twenty-three  in  circumference.  The  Hindoo  priests,  at 
the  present  time,  use  this  shell  as  sacred.  It  is  blown  to  announce 
the  celebration  of  religious  festivals.  Sixth  ;  under  a  heap  of  dust 
and  tenuous  shreds  of  feathered  cloth  and  hair,  a  parcel  of  brass 
rings,  cut  o  .t  of  a  solid  piece  of  metal,  and  in  such  a  manner  that 
the  rings  were  suspended  from  each  other,  without  the  aid  of  sol- 
der, or  any  other  visible  agency  whatever.  Each  ring  was  three 
inches  in  diameter,  and  the  bar  of  the  rings  an  half  inch  thick,  and 
were  square  ;  a  variety  of  characters  were  deeply  engraved  on  the 
sides  of  the  rings,  resembling  the  Chinese  characters." 

Ward's  History  of  the  Hindoos,  page  41  and  56,  informs  us,  that 
the  god  Vishnoo,  is  represented  holding  a  sea  nkell  in  his  hand, 
called  the  "  sacred  shell  ;"  and,  second,  he  states,  that "  the  uten- 
sils employed  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  temple,  are  several  dishes  to 


im 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN    THE  WEST. 


89 


[  tot^ether 
at  decay, 
3ver,  IVom 
>n,  which 
th.  With 
,  in  which 

1,  and  rung 
had  a  top 
tely  as  iron 
he  pole,  hy 
e.     Third; 
i  lying  in  a 
Fourth  ;  a 
reen,  black, 
liell,  decom- 
rtcen  inches 
)0  priests,  at 
to  announce 
heap  of  dust 
arcel  of  brass 
I  manner  that 
he  aid  of  sol- 
ing was  three 
ch  thick,  and 
graved  on  the 

iforms  us,  that 

in  his  hand, 

lat "  the  utrn- 

veral  dishes  to 


n 
\ 


hold  the  ofibriug^,  a  hand  bell,  a  lamp,  jugs  for  liolding  water,  an 
incense  dish,  a  copper  cup,  a  seat  of  Kooshu  grass  for  the  priests,  a 
large  metal  plate,  used  as  a  bt-il.  Several  of  the  articles  found 
buried  in  this  manner,  resem1>le  these  rtensils  of  the  Brahmin 
Priests,  while  some  are  exactly  like  the,n.  The  mat  of  Kooshu 
grass,  resembles  the  mat  of  hair  and  feathers :  the  earthen  dish, 
the  conch  shell,  are  the  very  same  in  kind  ;  the  brass  chain  might 
answer  instead  of  a  bell,  or  iron  plate  to  strike  against,  which  would 
produce  a  gingliiig  sound.  A  quantity  of  round,  ovil  and  square 
beads,  coloured  variously,  were  found :  although  Mr.  Wa-d  does  not 
say  that  beads  were  a  part  of  the  utensils  of  the  Hindoo  priest,  yet 
we  find  them  on  the  necks  and  arms  of  both  their  gous  and  their 
mendicants. 

Pottery,  of  the  same  kind  found  in  those  ancient  works  have  al- 
so the  quality  of  enduring  the  fire.  The  art  of  making  vessels  of 
clay,  is  very  ancient ;  we  find  it  spoken  of  by  Jeremiah  the  proph- 
et, nearly  three  thousand  years  ago. 

The  art  of  colouring  wood,  stones,  and  shells,  with  a  variety  of 
beautiful  tints,  was  also  known,  as  appears  from  the  pavement  above 
described,  and  the  coloured  beads. 

But  the  brass  rings  and  tosselated  pavement,  are  altogether  the 
most  to  be  wondered  at.  A  knowledge  of  the  method  of  manufac- 
turing brass  was  known  to  the  Antediluvians ;  this  we  learn  from 
Genesis,  iv.  22,  Tubal  Cain,  an  artificer  in  brass  and  iron ;  about 
eleven  hundred  years  before  the  flood. 

But  how  this  article,  the  brass  chain,  of  such  curious  construc- 
tion, came  in  the  possession  of  the  Chief,  interred  on  the  summit  of 
the  mountain,  is  a  question ;  to  be  answered,  it  would  seem,  in  but 
two  ways.  Tliey  either  had  a  knowledge  of  the  art  of  making 
brass,  or  the  article  was  an  item  of  that  king's  peculiar  treasure, 
and  had  been  deriv(!d,  either  from  his  ancestors  from  earliest  ages, 
or  from  South  America,  as  an  article  of  trade,  a  gift  from  some  fel- 
low king,  or  a  trophy  of  some  victorious  battle,  over  some  southern 

12 


\ 


.*{. 


m 


n 


90 


A.MtRlCAN    ANTKiUITllCS 


^)) 


nation  ;  for,  :  <.  cording  to  Huniboldt,  Ijiass  was  found  anionp  the  na- 
tive i\Ii\xicai»s,  in  uttut  abundance. 

But  how  the  Mexicans  came  by  this  art  in  niineialogy,  is  equally 
a  question.  Cold,  silver,  copper,  &c.,  are  the  natural  jroduct  of 
their  respective  ores;  and  r.«ridont  may  have  made  them  acquainted 
with  tht-'SP ;  as  iron  was  discovered  among  the  Greeks,  by  fire  in 
the  wood  having  melted  the  ore.  But  brass  is  farther  removed 
from  the  knowledge  of  nuui,  in  general,  being  a  composition  of 
coppei  11(1  the  calainine  stone,  or  ore  of  zinc.  However,  it  is  said 
by  Mors  that  in  Chili,  in  the  hills  of  Huilquilemu,  are  found 
mines  of  native  brass,  of  a  fine  yellow  colour,  and  equally  mallea- 
ble with  the  be.'it  artificial  brass  ;  yet  this  is  no  common  product  of 
mineralogy,  a;id  vould  seem  to  be  an  exception,  or  rather  a  product 
extraordinary  ;  and  in  a  measure  induces  a  belief  that  it  is  not  pro- 
per brass,  but  h  metal  ^imilar  only  in  complexion,  while  perhaps  its 
chemical  proper!'  s  are  entirely  dillerent,  or  it  may  have  been  pro- 
duced by  the  fusion  of  copper  and  the  ore  of  zinc,  by  the  fire  of 
some  volcaaoe. 

Brass  was  the  metal  out  of  which  the  ancient  nations  made  all 
their  instruments  of  war,  and  defensive  armour :  the  reason  of  this 
preference  above  copper  andiron,  even  by  the  Ureeks  and  Romans, 
was  probably,  on  account  of  the  excessive  bright  polish  it  was  ca- 
pable of  receiving  ;  for  the  Greeks  and  Romans  used  it  long  after 
their  knowledge  of  iron.  Iron  was  discovered  by  the  Greeks  1406 
years  before  Chri.'^t.  The  ancient  Americans  must  have  derived  a 
knowledge  of  brass  from  their- early  acquaintance  with  nations  im- 
mediately succeeding  the  flood,  who  had  it  from  the  Antediluvians, 
by  way  of  Noah  ;  and  imving  found  their  way  to  this  continent,  be- 
fore it  became  so  isolated,  as  it  is  at  the  present  time,  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  oceans,  made  use  of  the  same  metal  here. 

But  the  tesselaled  or  spotted  pavement  is  equally  curious  with 
the  brass  chain,  on  account  of  its  resemblance  to  the  Mosaic  pave- 
ments of  the  Romans ;  being  small  pieces  of  marble,  of  various 


AND    DISCOVEniKS    IN    THE  WKST 


91 


ij(l  tunoiip  the  na- 

ciulogy,  is  equally 
latural  i  '•oduct  of 
e  them  acquainted 

riH  ks,  by  fire  in 
s  farther  removed 

a  composition  of 
however,  it  is  said 
uilcmu,  are  found 
ind  equally  mallea- 
comnion  product  of 
,  or  rather  a  product 
^f  that  it  is  not  pro- 
n,  while  perhaps  its 
may  have  been  pro- 
zinc,  by  the  fire  of 

ent  nations  made  all 
r :  lue  reason  of  this 
lireeks  and  Romans, 
ght  polish  it  was  ca- 
ms used  it  long  after 

by  the  Greeks  1406 
must  have  derived  a 
nee  with  nations  im- 
m  the  Antediluvians, 

to  this  continent,  be- 
sent  time,  surrounded 

metal  here. 

equally  curious  with 
c  to  the  Mosaic  pave- 
of  marble,  of  various 


f  olours  with  which  they  are  said  to  huvt.'  oniuinciited  the  front  of 
their  tents  in  time  of  war,  but  taken  up  iii^aiu  whenever  they  re- 
moved. J'liis  sort  of  pavement  is  often  dug  up  in  England,  and  is  of 
Roman  orif;in. 

We  find  the  history  of  the  ancient  Britains  mentions  the  curren- 
cy of  iron  ringsj  as  money,  which  was  in  use  among  them,  before 
the  invasion  by  Julius  Caesar;  it  is  not  possII;!e,  the  brass  chain,  or 
an  assemblage  of  those  rings,  as  found  ••>  fijis  mound,  may  have 
been  held  among  those  ancients  of  Americ;  'he  same  estimation  ; 
the  chain  in  their  mode  of  reckoning,  beiu;;  jiorhaps,  of  an  immense 
amount;  its  being  found  dejwsited  with  its  owner,  who  was  a  chief 
or  king,  is  the  evidence  of  its  peculiar  value,  whetlier  it  had  been 
used  as  an  article  in  trade,  or  as  a  sacred  imj)lenient.  ' 

This  maculated  pavement,  arranij;o(l  in  such  a  manner  as  to  re- 
present in  full  si/e,  the  chief,  king,  or  monarch,  who  was  interred 
beneath  it,  shows  the  knowledg  ;  that  people  had  of  painting,  sculp- 
ture, and  descriptive  delineation  :  but  most  of  all,  the  serpent,  which 
lay  coiled  at  his  feet,  is  surprising,  because  we  suppose  this  trans- 
action could  not  have  happened  from  mere  caprice,  or  the  sport  of 
imagination. 

It  must  have  been  a  trait  of  their  theology,  and  possibly  an  allu- 
sion to  the  serpent,  by  whose  instrumentality  Satan  deceived  the 
first  of  women,  the  mother  of  us  all :  and  its  being  beneath  his 
feet,  may  also  have  alluded  to  the  promised  Seed,  who  was  to  bruise 
the  Scrpent^s  head  ;  all  of  whicli  may  easily  have  been  derived  from 
the  family  of  Noah,  and  carried  along  with  the  millions  of  man- 
kind, as  they  diverged  asunder  from  mount  Ararat,  around  the  wide 
earth.  The  Mexicans  are  found  to  have  a  clear  notion  of  this 
thing,  and  of  many  other  traits  of  the  early  history  of  nian,  as  re- 
lated in  the  Hebrew  records,  and  the  Scriptures :  preserved  in  their 
traditions  and  paintings,  as  we  shall  show  in  another  place. 

The  etching  on  the  square  sides  of  those  rings  of  brass,  in  cha- 
racters resembling  Chinese,  shows  the  manufacturer,  and  the  nation 


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92 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


of  which  he  was  a  member,  to  have  had  a  knowledge  of  engraving, 
even  on  the  metals,  equal  with  artists  at  the  present  ume,  of  which 
Ik      '  the  common  Indian  of  the  west,  knows  nothing. 

The  stone  hatchet,  flint,  and  bone  arrow  points,  found  in  this 
tomb,  are  no  exclusive  evidf  :ice  that  this  was  all  done  by  the  mod- 
em Indians :  because  the  same  are  found  in  vast  profusion  in  all 
parts  of  the  old  world,  particularly  in  the  island  of  England  ;  and 
have  been  in  use  from  remotest  antiquity. 

We  are  very  far  from  believing  the  Indians  of  the  present  time, 
to  be  the  aborigines  of  America ;  but  quite  the  contrary,  are  usurpers, 
have  by  force  of  bloody  warfare,  exterminated  the  original  inhab- 
itants, taking  possession  of  their  country,  property,  and  in  some  few 
instances,  retaining  arts,  learned  of  those  very  nations. 

The  immense  sea  shell,  which  was  fourteen  inches  long,  and 
twenty-three  inches  in  circumference,  found  in  this  tomb,  is  evi- 
dence of  this  people's  having  an  acquaintance  with  other  parts  of 
the  world  than  merely  their  own  dwellings,  because  the  shell  is 
a  marine  production,  and  the  nearest  place  where  this  element  is 
found,  from  the  Muskingum,  is  nearly  a  thousand  miles  in  a  strait 
line,  east  to  the  Atlantic. 

If  the  engraving  on  this  chain,  be  in  fact  Chinese,  or  if  they 
bear  a  strong  and  significant  analogy  to  thi^m,  it  justifies  the  opinion 
that  a  communication  between  America  and  Asia,  by  means  of  land 
on  the  west,  once  existed,  but  has  been  destroyed  by  some  convul- 
sion in  nature.  And  also  the  characters  on  those  rings  show  the 
ancient  Americans  to  have  had  a  knowledge  of  letters.  A  know- 
ledge of  letters,  hieroglyphics,  pictures  of  ideas,  and  of  facts,  was 
known  among  men,  200  years  before  the  time  of  Moses,  or  1822 
years  before  the  Christian  era,  among  the  Egyptians.  Nations  of 
men,  therefore,  having  at  an  early  period,  found  their  way  to  this 
continent,  if  indeed  it  was  then  a  separate  continent ;  consequently 
to  find  the  remains  of  such  an  art,  scattered  here  and  thee  in  the 
dust  and  ashes  of  the  nations  of  America,  passed  away,  is  not  sur- 


^1 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN   THE  WEST. 


93 


prising.  The  mound  which  we  have  described,  was  apprehended 
by  Mr.  Aash,  to  be  only  an  advanced  guard  post,  or  a  place  of  look 
out,  in  the  direction  of  the  Muskingum  and  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  ; 
accordingly  he  wandered  farther  into  the  woods,  in  a  northwesterly 
direction,  leaving  on  hia  right  the  Muskingum,  whose  course  was 
northeast  by  southwest. 

His  research  in  that  direction  had  not  long  been  continued,  be- 
fore he  discovered  strong  indications  of  his  conjecture.  He  had 
come  to  a  small  valley  between  two  mountains  ;  through  which  a 
small  creek  meandered  its  way  to  the  Muskingum. 

On  either  side  of  the  stream  were  evident  traits  of  a  very  large 
settlement  of  antiquity.  They  consisted,  first,  of  a  tira//,  or  ram- 
part of  earth,  of  almost  nine  feet  perpendicular  elevation,  and  thirty 
feet  across  the  base.  The  rampart  was  of  a  semicircular  form,  its 
entire  circuit  being  three  hundred  paces,  or  something  over  eigh. 
teen  rods,  bounded  by  the  creek.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stream  was  another  rampart,  of  the  same  description,  evidently  an- 
swering to  the  first ;  these  viewed  together,  made  one  grand  circle, 
of  more  than  forty  rods  circumference,  with  the  creek  running  be- 
tween. 

After  a  minute  examination,  he  perceived  very  visibly  the  re- 
mains of  elevated  stone  abutments,  which  being  exactly  opposite 
each  other,  suggested  the  belief,  that  these  bridges  once  connected 
the  two  semicircles  ;  one  in  the  centre,  and  one  on  either  side,  at 
the  extreme  edges  of  the  ring.  The  timber  growing  on  the  ram- 
part and  within  the  circle,  was  principally  red  oak,  of  great  age  and 
magnitude,  some  of  the  trees,  being  in  a  state  of  decay,  were  not 
less  than  seven  feet  in  diameter,  and  twenty-one  in  circumference. 

Some  considerable  farther  up  the  brook,  at  the  spot  where  the 
beautiful  vale  commences,  where  the  mountain  rises  abruptly,  and 
discharges  from  its  cleft  bosom  the  delightful  creek,  are  a  great 
number  of  mounrls  of  earth,  standing  at  equal  distances  from  each 
other,  forming  three  grand  circles,  one  beyond  the  other,  cut  in  two 


94 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


by  the  creek,  as  the  one  described  before,  with  streets  situated  be- 
tween, forming,  as  do  the  mounds,  complete  circles.  Here,  as  at 
the  other,  the  two  half  circles  were  united  by  two  bridges,  the 
abutments  of  which  are  distinct,  so  perfect  are  their  remains. 

At  a  considerable  distance,  on  the  sides  of  the  mountain,  are  two 
mounds  or  barrows,  which  are  nearly  thirty  feet  long,  twelve  high, 
and  seventeen  wide  at  the  base.  These  barrows  are  composed 
principally  of  stone  talcen  out  of  the  creek,  on  which  are  growing 
also  very  heavy  timber.  Here  were  deposited  the  dead,  who  had 
been  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  in  the  vale.  From  which  it 
would  appear  that  the  mounds  forming  those  circles,  which  were 
sixty  in  number,  are  not  tumuli,  or  the  places  where  chiefs  and  dis- 
tinguished warriors  were  entombed,  but  were  the  houses,  the  ac- 
tual dwellings  of  the  people  who  built  them  ,  however,  the  distin- 
guished dead  were  interred  in  tumuli  of  the  same  form  frequently, 
but  much  more  magnificent  and  lofty,  and  are  fewer  in  number, 
situated  on  the  highest  grounds  adjacent  to  their  towns. 

But  it  may  be  enquired,  how  could  those  mounds  of  earth  have 
ever  been  the  dwellings  of  families  .'  There  is  but  one  way  to  ex- 
plain it.  They  may  have,  at  the  time  of  their  construction,  receiv- 
ed their  peculiar  form,  which  is  a  conical  or  sugar  loaf  form,  by  'the 
erection  of  long  poles  or  logs,  set  up  in  a  circle  at  the  bottom,  and 
brought  together  at  the  top,  with  an  opening,  so  that  the  smoke 
might  pass  out.  Against  this  the  earth,  (being  brought  from  a  dis- 
tance, so  as  not  to  disturb  the  even  surface  of  the  spot  chosen  to 
build  on,)  was  thrown,  till  the  top  and  sides  were  entirely  envel- 
oped. This  operation  would  naturally  cause  the  bottom,  or  base, 
to  be  of  great  thickness,  caused  by  the  natural  sliding  down  of  the 
earth,  as  it  was  thrown  on  or  against  the  timbers  ;  and  this  thick- 
ness would  be  in  exact  proportion  with  the  heighth  of  the  poles,  at 
the  ratio  of  an  angle  of  fojty-five  degrees.  v      , 

In  this  way  a  dwelling  of  the  most  secure  description,  would  be 
the  result ;  such  as  could  not  be  easily  broken  through,  nor  set  on 


-->■.■• 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST. 


95 


fire,  and  in  winter  would  be  warm,  and  in  summer  cool.  Jt  in  true, 
such  rooms  would  be  rather  gloomy,  compared  with  the  magnifi- 
cent and  well  lighted  houses  of  the  present  times,  yet  accorded  well 
with  the  usages  of  antiquity,  when  mankind  lived  in  clans  and 
tribes,  but  few  in  number,  compared  with  the  present  populousnesa 
of  the  earth,  and  stood  in  fear  of  invasion  from  their  neighbours' 

Such  houses,  as  tliese,  built  in  circles  of  wood  at  jir3t,  and  lastly, 
of  stone,  as  the  knowled^^e  of  architecture  came  on,  were  used  by 
the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Britain,  Wales,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and 
on  the  continent,  as  in  Norway.  No  mode  of  building  which  can 
be  conceived  of,  would  more  efTectually  shut  out  the  wind. — 
*'  Houses  of  this  form,  made  with  upright  stdnes,  are  even  now 
common  over  all  the  Danish  dominions."  See  Morse's  Geography y 
volume  l,page  158. 

In  the  communication  of  Mr.  Moses  Fiske,  of  Hilhara,  Tennes- 
see, to  the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  1815,  respecting  the  re- 
mains and  discoveries  made  relative  to  antiquities  in  the  west,  but 
especially  in  Tennessee,  says,  that  the  description  of  mounds,  whe- 
ther round,  square  or  oblong  in  their  shapes,  which  have  flat  tops, 
were  the  most  magnificent  sort,  and  seem  contrived  for  the  pur- 
pose of  building  temples  and  castles  on  their  summits  ;  which  be- 
ing thus  elevated,  were  very  imposing,  and  might  be  seen  at  a  great 
distance. 

"  Nor  must  we,  he  continues,  mistake  the  ramparts  or  fortifica- 
tions, for  farming  inclosures ;  what  people,  savage  or  civilized,  ever 
fenced  the^r  grounds  so  preposterously  ;  bearing  no  proportion  in 
quantity  necessary  for  tillage  ;"  from  which  the  support  of  a  whole 
country  was  expected  ;  and  further  there  were  many  neighbour- 
hoods which  had  no  such  accommodations. 

He  has  also  discovered  that  within  the  areas  encompassed  by 
these  ramparts,  are  whole  ranges  of  foimdations,  on  which  dwelliny 
houses  once  stood,  with  streets  running  between,  besides  mounds 
and  other  works.    "  The  houses  generally  stood  in  rows,  nearly 


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96 


(' 


AMUmCAN    ANTIQUlTIt:S 


l» 


contiguous  to  each  other/'  as  in  all  compact  towns  and  cities, 
though  sometimes  they  stood  in  an  irregular  and  scattered  manner. 
These  foundations  "  are  indicated  by  rings  of  earth,  from  three  to 
five  fathoms  in  diameter,"  which  is  equal  to  eighteen  and  thirty 
feet ;  the  remains  of  these  rings  or  foundations  are  from  ten  to 
twenty  inches  high,  and  a  yard  or  more  broad.  But  they  were  not 
always  circular  ;  some,  which  he  had  noticed,  were  square,  and 
others  also,  of  the  oblong  form,  as  houses  are  now  built  by  civiliz- 
ed nations. 

"  The  flooring  of  some  is  elevated  above  the  common  level,  or 
surface  ;  that  of  others  is  depressed.  These  tokens  are  indubita- 
ble, and  overspread  the  country  ;  some  scattered  and  solitary,  but 
oftener  in  groups,  like  villages,  with  and  without  being  walled  in." 
From  which  it  is  clear,  that  whoever  they  were,  the  pursuits  of 
agriculture  were  indispensable,  and  were  therefore  in  use  with  those 
nations. 

From  the  forms  of  the  foundations  of  dwellings,  discovered  and 
described  by  Mr.  Fiske,  we  conclude  they  were  the  efforts  of  man 
at  a  very  early  period.  We  are  directed  to  this  conclusion  by  the 
writings  ot  Vetruvius,  who  lived  in  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar,  and  is 
the  most  ancient  writer  on  the  subject  of  architecture,  antiquity  can 
boast  of.     His  account  is  as  follows  : 

"  At  first,  for  the  walls,  men  erected  forked  stakes,  and  disposing 
twigs  between  them,  covered  them  with  loam  ;  others  pulled  up 
clods  of  clay,  binding  them  with  wood,  and  to  avoid  rain  and 
heat,  they  made  a  covering  with  reeds  and  boughs  ;  but  finding 
that  this  roof  could  not  resist  the  winter  rains,  they  made  it  sloping, 
pointed  at  the  top,  plastering  it  over  with  clay,  and  by  that  means 
discharging  the  rain  water.  To  this  day,  says  Vetruvius,  some  fo- 
reign nations  construct  their  dwellings  of  the  same  kind  of  mate- 
rials, as  in  Gaul,  Spain,  Lusitania,  and  Aquitain.  The  Colchins  in 
the  kingdom  of  Portugal,  where  they  abound  in  forests,  fix  trees  in 
the  earth,  close  together  in  ranks,  to  the  right  and  left,  leaving  as 


AND   DISCOVCKlllS    IN   THE  UllSi'. 


97 


much  space  between  them,  from  coiner  to  corner,  as  the  length 
of  the  trees  will  permit ;  upon  the  ends  of  tliese,  at  the  corner:',  oth- 
ers are  laid  transversely,  which  circumclude  the  place  of  habitation 
in  the  middle  ;  then  at  the  top  the  four  angles  are  braced  together 
with  alternate  beams.     The  crevices,  which  are  large,  on  account 
of  the  coarseness  of  the  materials,  are  stopped  with  chips  and  loam. 
The  roof  is  also  raised  by  beams  laid  across  from  the  extreme  an- 
gles, or  corners,  gradually  rising  from  the  four  sides  to  the  middle 
point  at  the  top,  (exactly  like  a  German  barrack  ;)  and  then  co- 
vered with  boughs  and  earth.     In  this  manner  the  barbarians,  says 
this  author,  make  their  roofs  to  their  towers-"     By  the  barbarians, 
he  means  the  inhabitants  of  Europe  at  the  time  when  he  wrote 
these  remarks,  which  was  in  the  reign  of  Julius  Caesar,  a  short  time 
before  Christ.     The  Phrygians,  who  inhabit  a  champaign  country, 
being  destitute  of  timber,  select  natural  hills,  excavate  tliem,  dig 
an  entrance,  and  widen  the  space  within  as  much  as  the  nature  of 
the  place  will  permit ;  above  they  fix  stakes  in  a  pyramidal  form, 
bind  them  together,  and  cover  them  with  reeds  or  straw,  heaping 
thereon  great  piles  of  earth.     This  kind  of  covering  renders  them 
very  warm  in  winter  and  cool  in  summer.     Some  also  cover  the 
roofs  of  their  huts  with  weeds  of  lakes  ;  and  thus,  in  all  countries 
and  nations,  the  dwellings  are  formed  upon  similar  principles." — 
Blake's  Atlas,  page  145. 

The  circular,  square,  and  oblong  forms  of  foundations,  found  in 
the  west,  would  seem  to  argue  the  houses  built  thereon,  to  be  made 
in  the  same  way  this  author  has  described  the  mode  of  building 
in  his  time  among  the  barbarous  nations  ;  and  also  furnishes  reason 
to  believe  them  to  have  been  made  here  in  America,  ranch  in  the 
same  ages  of  the  world. 

Having  this  knowledge  of  the  mode  of  ancient  building,  we  are 
led  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  town  which  we  have  just  given  an 
account  of,  was  a  clan  of  some  of  the  ancient  Celtic  nations,  who 

by  some  means  had  found  their  way  to  this  part  of  the  earth,  and 

13 


98  AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 

had  fixed  their  abode  in  this  secluded  valley-  Celtic  or  Irish,  as 
Mr.  Morse  says,  who  were  derived  from  Gaul,  or  Gallatia,  which 
is  now  France,  who  descended  from  Corner,  one  of  the  sons  of  Ja- 
pheth,  a  son  of  Noah  ;  to  whose  descendants  Europe,  with  its-isles, 
was  given. 

Here  we  may  suppose  the  gods  Odin,  Thor,  and  Friga,  were 
adored  under  the  oaks  composing  American  forests,  as  taught  by  the 
Druids  ;  here  their  victims,  the  deer  and  buffalo,  sent  up  to  the 
skies  their  smoking  odour,  while  the  priests  of  the  forests,  invoked 
the  blessing  of  the  beneficient  being,  upon  the  votaries  of  the  mys- 
tic Misleto.  Here  were  the  means  of  mutual  defence  and  safety 
discussed  ;  the  sighs  of  the  lover  breathed  on  the  winds  ;  parents 
and  children  looked  with  kindness  on  each  other  ;  soothed  and 
bound  the  wounds  of  such  as  returned  from  the  uncertain  fate  of 

clanular  battles  ;  but  have  been  swept  with  the  besom  ol  exter- 
mination from  this  vale,  while  no  tongue  remains  to  tell  the  story 

of  their  sufferings. 

At  the  distance  of  about  three  miles  higher  up,  and  not  far  from 
the  Muskingum,  says  Mr.  Ash,  he  perceived  an  eminence  very 
similar  to  the  one  jnst  described,  in  which  the  brass  chain  was 
found,  to  which  h(!  hastened,  and  immediately  perceived  their  like- 
ness in  form. 

On  a  comparison  of  the  two,  there  could  be  but  one  opinion, 
namely,  that  both  were  places  of  look-out  for  the  express  protection 
of  the  setlement  in  the  valley.  He  says  he  took  the  pains  of  clearing 
the  top  of  the  eminence,  but  could  not  discover  any  stone  or  mark 
which  might  lead  to  a  supposition  of  its  being  a  place  of  interment. 
The  country  above  was  hilly,  yet  not  so  high  as  to  intercept  the 
view  for  a  presumed  distance  of  twenty  miles. 

On  these  eminences,  the  "  beacon  fires''^  of  the  Clan,  who  resided 
in  the  valley,  may  have  been  kindled  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  to 
show  those  who  watched  the  {lortentous  flame,  the  advance  or  de- 
struction of  an  enemy.     Such  fires,  on  the  heights  of  Scotland, 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WRST. 


99 


were  wont  to  be  kindled  in  the  days  of  Bruce  and  Wallace,  and 
ages  before  their  time,  originated  from  the  Persians  possibly,  who 
worshipped  in  this  way  the  great  Oramaze,  as  the  god  who  made 
all  things.  The  idea  of  a  Creator,  was  borrowed  from  Noah,  who 
received  the  account  of  the  creation  from  Seth,  who  had  it  from 
Adam  :  He  from  the  Almighty  himself. 

From  this  excursion  our  traveller,  after  having  returned  to  Mari- 
etta, pursued  his  way  to  Zanesville,  on  the  Muskingum  river, 
where,  learning  from  the  inhabitants  that  the  neighbourhood  was 
surrounded  with  the  remains  of  antiquity,  he  proceeded  to  the  ex- 
amination of  them,  having  obtained  a  number  of  persons  to  accom- 
pany him  with  the  proper  implements  of  excavation.  They  pene- 
trated the  woods  in  a  westerly  direction,  to  a  place  known  to  those 
who  accompanied  him,  about  five  miles  distance,  where  the  ruins 
of  ancient  times  were  numerous  and  magnificent  in  the  highest  de- 
gree ;  consisting  of  mounds,  barrows  and  ramparts,  but  of  such  va- 
riety and  form,  and  covering  so  immense  a  track  of  groimd,  that  it 
would  have  taken  at  least  ten'days  to  have  surveyed  them  minutely. 

These  immense  works  of  the  ancients,  it  appears,  were,  in  this 
place,  encompassed  by  outlines  of  an  entirely  difierent  shape  from 
any  other  described,  being  of  the  triangular  form,  and  occupying 
the  whole  plain,  situated  as  the  one  before  described,  in  a  place 
nearly  surrounded  by  mountains 

Bdt  we  pass  over  many  incidents  of  our  traveller,  and  come  imme- 
diately to  the  object  of  his  research,  which  was  to  open  such  of 
those  mounds  as  might  attract  his  attention.  His  first  operation 
was  to  penetrate  the  interior  of  a  large  barrow,  situated  at  one  ex- 
tremity of  the  vale,  which  was  its  southern.  Three  feet  below  the 
surface  was  fine  mould,  underneath  which  were  small  flat  stones, 
lying  in  regular  strata  or  gravel,  brought  from  the  mountain  in  the 
vicinity.  This  last  covered  the  remains  of  a  human  frame,  which 
fell  into  impalpable  powder  A^hen  touched  and  exposed  to  air.  'y 
'  Toward  the  base  of  the  barrow  he  came  to  three  tier  of  substan- 
ces, placed  regularly  in  rotation.     And  as  these  forqied  two  rows 


lrt^! 


^iurt 


100 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


four  deep,  separated  by  little  more  than  a  flag  stone  between 
the  feet  of  one,  and  the  head  of  another,  it  was  supposed  the  bar- 
row contained  about  two  thousand  skeletons,  in  a  very  great  state 
of  decay,  which  shows  their  extreme  antiquity. 

In  this  search  was  found  a  well  carved  stone  pipe,  expressing  a 
bear's  liead,  together  with  some  fragments  of  pottery  of  fine  texture. 
Near  the  centre  of  the  whole  works,  another  opening  was  affected, 
in  a  rise  of  ground,  scarcely  higher  than  a  natifral  undulation,  com- 
mon to  the  general  surface  of  the  earth,  even  on  ground  esteemed 
to  be  level.  But  there  was  one  singularity  accompanying  the  spot, 
which  attracted  the  attention  of  the  company,  and  this  was,  there 
was  neither  shrub  nor  tree  on  the  spot,  although  more  than  ninety 
feet  in  circumference,  but  was  adorned  with  a  multitude  of  pink  and 
purple  flowers. 

They  came  to  an  opinion  that  the  rise  of  ground  was  artificial, 
and  as  it  diir(;red  in  form,  and  character,  from  the  common  mounds, 
they  resolved  to  lay  it  open,  which  Avas  soon  done,  to  a  level  with 
the  plain,  but  witliout  the  discovcvy  of  any  thing  whatever.  But 
as  Ash  had  become  vexed,  having  found  nothing  to  answer  his  ex- 
pectations in  other  openings  on  the  spot,  he  jumped  from  the  bank, 
in  order  to  take  a  spade  and  encourage  the  men  to  dig  somewhat 
deeper.  At  this  instant  the  ground  gave  way,  and  involved  the 
whole  company  in  earth  and  ruin,  as  was  supposed  for  the  moment ; 
but  was  soon  followed  by  much  mirth  and  laughter,  as  no  person 
was  hurt  by  the  fall,  which  was  but  about  three  feet. 

Ash  had  great  difficulty  to  prevail  on  any  person  to  resume  the 

labour,  and  had  to  explore  the  place  himself,  and  sound  it  with  a 
pole,  before  any  man  would  venture  to  aid  him  further,  on  account 

of  their  fright. 

But  they  soon  resumed  their  courage,  and  on  examination  found 

that  a  parcel  of  timbers  had  given  way,  which  covered  the  orifice 

of  a  square  hole,  seven  feet  by  four,  and  four  feet  deep.      That  it 

was  a  sepulchre,  was  unanimously  agreed,  till  they  found  it  in  vain 


AND  DISCOVF.RIEI   Ilf   TilK    WEST- 


101 


to  look  for  bones,  or  any  substance  similar  to  them,  in  a  state  of  de< 
composition.  They  soon,  however,  struck  an  object  which  would 
neither  yield  to  the  spade,  nor  emit  any  sound ;  but  persevering 
still  further,  tjiey  found  the  obstruction,  which  was  uniform  through 
the  pit,  to  proceed  from  rows  of  large  spherical  bodies,  at  tirst  taken 
to  be  stones.  ^. 

Several  of  them  were  cast  up  to  the  surface ;  they  were  exactly 
alike,  perfectly  round,  nine  inches  in  diameter,  and  about  twenty 
pounds  weight.  The  superfices  of  one,  when  cleaned  and  scraped, 
with  knives,  appeared  like  a  ball  of  base  metal,  so  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  the  dust  of  gold,  that  the  baseness  of  the  metal  it- 
self, was  nearly  altogether  obscured.  On  this  discovery,  the  cla- 
mour was  so  great,  and  joy  so  exuberant,  that  no  opinion  but  one 
was  admitted,  and  no  voice  could  be  heard,  while  the  cry  of  "  tis 
gold !  tis  gold !"  resounded  through  the  groves. 

Having  to  a  man  determined  on  this  important  point,  they  formed 
a  council  respecting  the  distribution  of  the  trepsure,  and  each  indi- 
vidual in  the  joy  of  his  heart,  declared  publicly,  the  use  he  intend- 
ed to  make  of  the  part  allotted  to  his  share. 

The  Englishman  concluded  that  he  would  return  to  England,  be- 
ing sure  from  experience,  that  there  was  no  country  like  it.  A 
German  of  the  party  said  he  would  never  have  quitted  the  Rhine, 
had  he  had  money  enough  to  rebuild  his  barn,  which  was  blown 
down  by  a  high  wind  ;  but  that  he  would  return  to  the  very  spot 
from  whence  he  came,  and  prove  to  his  neighbors  that  he  loved  his 
country  as  well  as  any  man,  when  he  had  the  means  of  doing  well. 
An  Irishman  swore  a  great  oath,  the  day  longer  he'd  stay  in  Ame- 
rica ;  and  the  Indian  who  accompanied  Ash,  appeared  to  .think  that 
were  he  to  purchase  some  beads,  rum  and  blankets,  and  return  to 
his  own  nation,  he  might  become  Sacliem,  and  keep  the  finest 
squaws  to  be  found. 

Even  Ash  himself  saw  in  the  treasure  the  sure  and  ample  means 
of  continuing  his  travels  in  such  parts  of  the  earth,  as  }ie  had  not 


#. 


^wW^ 


102 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


yet  vittited.  The  company  returned  to  Zanesville  with  but  one  ball 
of  their  riches,  while  they  carefully  hid  the  residue,  till  they  should 
subject  it  to  the  ordeal  of  fire. 

They  soon  procured  a  private  room,  where,  while  it  was  receiv- 
ing the  trial  of  fire,  tliey  stood  around  in  silence  almost  dreading  to 
breathe.  The  dreadful  element,  which  was  to  confirm  or  consume 
their  hopes,  soon  began  to  exercise  its  various  powers.  In  a  few 
moments  the  ball  turned  black,  fdled  the  room  with  sulphureous 
smoke,  emitted  sparks  and  intermittant  flames,  and  burst  into  ten- 
thousand  pieces ;  so  great  was  the  terror  and  suffocation,  that  all 
rushed  into  the  street,  and  gazed  on  each  other,  with  a  mixed  ex- 
pression of  doubt  and  astonishment. 

The  smoke  subsided,  when  they  were  able  to  discover  the  ele- 
ments of  the  supposed  gold  ;  which  consisted  of  some  very  fine  ash- 
es, and  a  great  quantity  of  cinders,  exceedingly  porous ;  the  balls 
were  nothing  but  a  sort  of  metal  called  spririte  or  pyrites,  and 
abounds  in  the  mountains  of  that  region. 

» 

The  triangular  form  of  this  enclosure,  being  different  from  the  gen- 
eral form  of  those  ancient  works,  is  perhaps  worthy  of  notice,  mere- 
ly on  the  account  of  its  form  ;  and  might  be  supposed  to  be  of  Chi- 
nese origin,  as  it  is  well  known  that  the  triangular  shape  is  a  favo- 
rite one  of  the  nations  of  Hindostan ;  it  is  even  in  the  Hindoo  the- 
ology, significant  of  the  Trinity,  of  their  great  Brahmah,  or  god  ; 
and  on  this  account,  might  even  characterise  the  form  of  national 
works,  such  as  we  have  just  described,  under  the  notion,  that  the 
divine  protection  would  the  more  readily  be  secured.  "  One  of 
the  missionaries  at  Peken,"  says  Adam  Clark,  "  takes  it  for  granted 
that  the  mystery  of  the  Trinity  was  known  among  the  ancient  Chi- 
nese, as  that  this  A  character  was  its  symbol.  Tt  is  remarkable  that 
Moses  and  the  Prophets,  the  ancient  Chaldee  Targumists,  the  au- 
thors of  the  Zend  AvestOy  a  Chinese  work,  Plato,  a  celebrated 
philosopher  of  antiquity,  who  died  at  Athens,  348  B.  C,  and  also 
the  first  philosopher  of  Greece,  and  Philo  the  Jew,  should  all  coin- 


m 


A>'U    UISCUVURICM    IK    THE  WICST 


103 


cide  M  perfectly  iu  their  ideas  of  a  Trinity,  in  the  Gudiicad.  This 
could  not  be  the  eft'ectof  accident.  Moses  and  the  prophets  received 
this  from  God  himself;  and  all  others  have  borrowed  from  this  first 
origin." — Clark. 

For  what  use  the  balls  of  which  we  have  given  an  account,  were 
designed,  is  impossible  to  conjecture,  whether  to  be  thrown  by 
means  of  engines,  as  practiced  by  the  Romans,  as  an  instrument  of 
warfare,  or  a  sort  of  medium  iu  trade,  or  were  used  as  instrument^} 
in  athletic  games,  either  to  roll  or  heave,  who  can  tell .' 

But  one  thing  respecting  them  is  not  uncertain,  they  must  have 
been  of  great  value,  or  so  much  labour  and  care  would  not  have 
been  expended  to  secure  them.  Colonel  Ludlow,  of  Cincinnati,  a 
nan,  it  is  said,  who  was  well  versed  in  the  history  of  his  country, 
though  now  deceased,  was  indefatigable  in  his  researches  after  the 
antiquities  of  America,  discovered  several  hundreds  of  those  balls 
of  pyrites,  weighing  generally  about  twenty  pounds,  near  an  old 
Indian  settlement,  on  the  banks  of  the  Little  Miami,  of  the  Ohio, 
and  also  another  heap  in  an  artificial  cave,  on  the  banks  of  the  Sci- 
ota,  consisting  of  copper  pyrites,  or  quartz. 

In  that  division  of  South  America,  called  Patagonia,  which  ex- 
tends nearly  to  the  extreme  southern  point  of  that  country,  is  found 
a  people,  denominated  Patagonians,  who  are  of  a  monstrous  size 
and  height,  measuring  from  six  to  seven  feet,  and  many  of  them 
approachiilg  to  eight.  Among  this  people  is  found  an  instrument 
of  war,  made  of  heavy  stones,  wore  round  by  friction ;  so  that  in 
appearance,  they  are  like  a  cannon  ball.  These  they  contrive  to 
fasten  in  a  sling,  from  which  they  throw  them  witli  great  dexterity 
and  force." — Morsels  Geo. 

This  kind  of  ball  was  used,  though  of  a  smaller  size,  to  capture, 
and  kill  animals  with.  The  manner  of  using  them  is  as  follows : 
they  take  three  of  those  balls,  two  of  them  three  inches,  and  one 
of  them  two  inches  in  diimotcr.  The  hunter  takes  the  small 
ball  in  his  right  hand,  and  swings  the  other  two,  (which  are 


104 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


a*  * 


connected  by  a  thong  of  a  proper  length,  fastening  also  to  the  one 
in  his  hand)  round  his  head,  till  a  sufficient  velocity  is  acquired, 
at  the  same  time  taking  aim,  when  it  is  thrown  at  the  legs  of  the 
animal  he  is  pursuing,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  entangle  its  feet  by 
the  rotary  motion  of  the  balls ;  so  that  its  capture  is  easy. 

Conjecture  might  go  on  to  establish  it  as  a  fact,  that  the  balls 
made  of  pyrites,  found  in  many  parts  of  the  west,  were  indeed  a 
warlike  instrument,  thrown  by  a  sling,  out  of  which,  a  force  almost 
equivalent  to  that  of  powder,  might  be  acquired ;  and  from  the  top 
of  mounds,  or  from  the  sides  of  their  elevated  forts,  such  a  mode  of 
defence,  would  be  very  terrible. 

This  mode  of  fighting  was  known  to  the  Hebrews.  David  slew 
Goliah  with  a  stone  from  a  sling.  Seven  hundred  chosen  men  out 
of  Gibea,  could  sling  a  stone  at  an  hair's  breadth.  Job  speaks  of 
this  manner  of  annoying  wild  beasts,  where  he  is  recounting  the 
strength  of  Leviathan,  "  Slinged  stones  are  turned  with  him 
into  stubble." 

Doctor  Adam  Clark's  observations  on  the  use  and  force  of  the 
sling,  are  very  interesting,  and  pertinent  to  the  subject.  They  are 
found  in  his  commentary,  1st  Samuel,  chap.  xvii.  verse  40,  "  The 
sling,  both  among  the  Greeks  and  Hebrews,  has  been  a  most  pow- 
erful offensive  weapon.  It  is  composed  of  two  strings  and  a  leather 
strap;"  (or  as  the  Patagonians's,  rawhide)  "  the  strap  is  in  the  mid- 
dle, and  is  the  place  where  the  stone  or  bullet  lies.  The  string  on 
the  right  end  of  the  strap,  is  firmly  fastened  to  the  hand  ;  that  on 

the  left,  is  held  between  the  thumb  and  middle  joint  of  the  forefin- 
ger. "  It  is  then  whirled  two  or  three  times  round  the  head  ;  and 
when  discharged,  the  finger  and  thumb  let  go  their  hold  of  the 
string.  The  velocity  and  force  of  the  sling  is  iu  proportion  to  the 
distance  of  the  strap,  to  where  the  bullet  lies,  from  the  shoulder 
joint.  Hence  the  ancient  Balleares,  or  inhabitants  of  Majorca,  and 
Minorca,"  islands  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  near  the  coast  of  Spain, 
are  said  <o  have  had  three  slings  of  different  lengths ;  the  longest 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IP<   TnEAvEST. 


105 


% 


they  used  when  the  enemy  was  at  the  greatest  distance ;  the  mid- 
dle one  on  their  nearer  approach,  and  the  shortest,  when  they  came 
into  the  ordinary  fighting  distance  in  the  field.  The  shortest  is  the 
most  certain,  though  not  the  most  powerful. 

"  The  Ballcareans  are  said. to  have  one  of  their  slings  constantly 
hound  about  their  head  ;  to  have  used  the  second  as  a  girdle ;  and 
to  have  carried  the  third  always  in  their  hand. 

"  In  the  use  of  the  sling,  it  requires  much  practice  to  hit  the 
mark  ;  but  when  once  this  dext'irity  is  acquired,  the  sling  is  nearly 
as  fatal"  as  the  ball  thrown  by  the  explosion  of  powder. 

"  David  was  evidently  an  expert  marksman  ;  and  his  sling  gave 
him  greatly  the  advantage  over  Goliah :  an  advantage  of  which  the 
giant  does  not  seem  to  have  been  aware.  He  could  hit  him  within 
any  speaking  distance  :  if  he  missed  once,  he  had  as  many  chances 
as  he  had  stones  ;  and  after  all,  being  unencumbered  with  armour, 
joung  and  athletic,  he  could  have  saved  his  life  by  flight.  But  Da- 
vid saved  himself  the  trouble  of  running  away,  or  the  giant  from 
throwing  his  spear  or  javelin  at  him,  by  giving  him  the  first  blow. 

Goliah  was  terribly  armed,  having  a  spear,  a  shield,  and  a  sword ; 
besides,  he  was  every  where  invulnerable,  on  account  of  his  hel- 
met of  brass,  his  coat  of  mail,  which  was  made  also  of  brass,  in 
little  pieces,  perhaps  about  the  size  of  a  half  dollar,  and  lapped  over 
each  other,  like  the  scales  of  fishes,  so  that  no  sword,  spear,  nor  ar- 
row could  liurt  him. 

The  only  spot  left,  where  he  could  be  hit  to  advantage,  was  his 
broad  giant  forehead,  into  which  the  stone  of  David  sunk,  from  its 
dreadful  impetus  received  from  the  simple  sling.  To  some  this  has 
appeared  perfectly  improbable  ;  but  we  are  assured  by  ancient  wri- 
ters, that  scarcely  any  thing  could  resist  the  force  of  the  sling. 

"  Diodorus  Siculus  says,  the  people  of  Minorca  and  Majorca  isl- 
ands, in  time  of  war,  sling  greater  stones  than  any  other  people, 
and  with  such  force,  that  they  seem  as  if  projected  from  a  capult," 

an  engine  used  by  the  ancients,  for  this  purpose.        ;   , ,  . 

14 


106 


ASIERICAX    ANTIQUITIES 


h 


"  Therefore  in  assaults  made  on  fortified  towns,  they  grievously 
wound  the  besieged,  and  in  battle,  they  break  in  pieces  the  shields, 
helmets,  and  every  species  of  armour,  by  which  the  body  is  de- 
fended." It  would  seem  from  the  expertness  the  Patagonians 
evince  in  the  use  of  the  sling,  that  they  may  have  been  derived 
from  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  those  islands,  who  could  as  easily 
have  found  their  way  out  cf  the  Mediterranean  by  the  Strait  of 
Gibralter  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  be  driven  across  to  South 
America,  by  the  winds  from  the  east,  or  by  the  current  of  the  sea, 
as  the  Egyptians,  as  we  have  before  argued. 

"  The  sling  was  a  very  ancient  warlike  instrument ;  and  in  the 
hands  of  those  who  were  skilled  in  the  use  of  it,  it  produced  as- 
tonishing effects.  The  people  of  the  above  named  islands  were 
the  most  celebrated  slingers  of  antiquity.  They  did  not  permit 
their  children  to  eat  till  they  had  struck  down  their  food  from  the 
top  of  a  pole,  or  some  distant  eminence. 

'  ■  Concerning  the  velocity  of  the  leaden  ball  thrown  out  of  the 
sling,  it  is  said  by  the  ancients,  to  have  melted  in  its  course.  Ovid, 
the  Roman  poet,  has  celebrated  its  speed,  in  the  following  beautiful 

verses : 

"  Hermes  was  fired,  as  in  the  clouds  he  hung; 

So  the  cold  bullet  that  with  fiii-y  slujig 
From  Balearic  engines,  mounts  on  high. 
Glows  in  the  wliirl,  and  burns  along  the  sky." — Dryden. 
"  This  is  no  poetic  fiction.    Seneca,  the  stoic  philosopher  of  Rome, 
bom  A.  D.  12,  says  the  same  thing ;  the  ball  projected  from  the 
sling,  melts,  and  is  liquified  by  the  friction  of  the  air,  as  if  it  were 
exposed  to  the  action  of  fire." 

Vegetius,  who  lived  in  the  14th  century,  and  was  also  a  Roman, 
tells  us  that  "  slingers  could  in  general,  hit  the  mark  at  six  hundred 
feet  distance,"  which  is  more  than  thirty  rods.  From  this  view  we 
see  what  havoc  the  western  nations,  using  the  sUng^  or  engine.,  to 
throw  stones  from  their  vast  forts  and  mounds  with,  must  have  made, 
when  engaged  in  defensive  or  offensive  warfare. 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN   TlIE  WEST. 


107 


% 


DISCOVERY  OF  TJ^E  REMAINS  OF  ANCIENT  POTTERY 

On  the  subject  of  pottery  we  will  remark,  that  the  remains 
of  this  art  are  generally  found,  especially  of  any  extent,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Salt  Springs.  It  is  true,  that  specimens  of  earth- 
en ware  are  frequently  taken  out  of  the  ancient  barrows  of  the 
dead,  and  also  are  frequently  brought  to  sight  on  the  shores  of  riv- 
ers, where  the  earth  has  been  suddenly  removed  by  inundations. 

A  few  years  since,  an  instance  of  this  sort  occurred  at  Tawanda, 
in  Pennrylvania.  The  Susquehannah  had  risen  very  high,  at  the 
time  we  are  speaking  of,  and  had  undermined  the  bank  on  the  Ta- 
wanda shore,  to  a  considerable  extent,  at  the  high  water  mark.  On 
the  receding  of  the  waters,  the  bank  was  found  to  be  carried  away 
for  the  distance  of  about  six  rods,  when  there  appeared  several  fire 
places,  made  of  the  stones  of  the  river,  with  vessels  of  earthen,  of 
a  capacity  about  equal  with  a  common  water  pail,  in  a  very  good 
state  of  preservation. 

Between  those  fire  places,  which  were  six  or  seven  in  number* 
were  found  the  skeletons  of  .several  human  beings,  lying  in  an  un- 
disturbed position,  as  if  they,  when  living  had  fallen  asleep,  and 
never  waked  ;  two  of  these,  in  particular,  attracted  attention,  and 
excited  not  a  little  surprise  ;  they  were  lying  side  by  side,  with 
the  arm  of  one  of  them  under  the  neck  of  the  other,  and  the  feet 
were  mingled  in  such  a  planner  as  to  induce  the  belief  that  when 
death  came  upon  them,  they  were  asleep  in  each  other's  embraces. 
But  in  what  manner  they  came  to  their  death,  so  that  they  appeared 
not  to  have  moved,  from  the  fatal  moment,  till  the  bank  at  Tawan- 
da was  carried  away,  which  had  covered  them  for  ages,  is  strange 
indeed. 

It  cannot  be  supposed,  they  died  all  at  once,  of  some  sickness,  or 
that  an  enemy  surprised  them  while  sleeping,  and,  silently  passing 


108 


AMERK  AN    ANTiyi'ITIKS 


from  cout'li  to  couch,  inlllol«;d  the  deadly  blow ;  l)ecause  in  any  of 
these  ways,  their  bones,  in  the  convulsioi^feof  dissolution,  must  have 
been  deranged,  so  that  the  image  and  peaceful  posture  of  sleepers 
could  not  have  chdracterised  thesr  positiona^as  they  were  found  to 
have.  It  was  conjectured,  at  the  time  of  their  discovery,  that  the 
period  of  their  death  had  been  at  the  season  of  the  year  when  that 
river  breaks  up  its  ice,  in  March  or  April,  the  river  they  supposed, 
may  have  been  dammed  up  below  them,  where  it  is  true,  the  stream 
narrows  on  the  account  of  the  approach  of  the  mountains.  Here 
the  ice  having  jammed  in  between,  caused  a  sudden  rise  of  the  ri- 
ver, and  setting  back,  overflowed  them. 

But  this  cannot  be  possible,  as  that  the  noise  of  the  breaking  ice 
would  never  allow  them  to  sleep ;  this  operation "  of  nature  is  ac- 
companied with  a  tremendous  uproar  and  grandeur,  tearing  and 
rending  the  shores,  and  forests  that  grow  on  them,  multiplying 
crash  on  crash  with  the  noise  of  thunder.  Neither  can  it  be  well 
supposed,  the  waters  came  over  them  in  the  way  suggested,  even 
if  they  had  slept  during  the  scene  we  have  just  described,  be- 
cause on  the  first  touch  of  the  water.s  to  their  bodies,  they  would 
naturally  spring  from  their  sleep  in  surprise. 

Something  must  have  happened  which  deprived  them  of  life  and 
motion  in  an  instant  of  time.  This  is  not  impossible,  because  at 
Herculaneum^  and  Pompei,  are  found  skeletons,  where  they  have 
recently  penetrated  through  the  lava,  down  to  those  ancient  cities, 
laying  bare,  streets,  houses,  and  temples,  with  their  contents,  such 
as  have  survived  the  heat  which  ruined  those  cities.  Here,  in  the 
rooms  of  their  dwellings,  are  found  skeletons,  holding  between 
their  fingers,  something  they  had  in  their  hands  at  the  moment  of 
their  death,  so  that  they  do  not  appear  even  to  have  struggled. 

Something  of  the  same  nature,  as  it  respects  suddenness,  must 
have  overtaken  these  sleepers:  so  that  their  natural  positions  were 
not  disturbed.  If  the  place  of  their  dwellings  had  been  skirted 
by  a  steep  bank,  or  hill,  it  might  then  have  been  supposed,  that  a 


4 


r'T?«7»^r»r^-! 


AND   DISCOVERIKS    IN   THE    WKST. 


109 


% 


land  slip,  or  mine  spring,  had  buried  tliein  alive,  but  this  is  not  the 
case.  They  were  about  four  feet  under  ground,  the  soil  which  co- 
vered them  was  the  same  alluvial  with  the  rest  of  the  flat  ;  it  is  a 
mystery,  and  cannot  be  solved,  unless  we  suppose  an  explosion  of 
earth,  occasioned  by  an  accumulation  of  galvanic  principles,  which 
bursting  the  earth  near  them,  they  have  been  suddenly  buried. 

Dr.  Beck,  the  author  of  the  Gazetteer  of  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
suggests  the  cause  of  the  earthquakes  iii  the  valley  of  the  Missisip- 
pi,  in  1811  and  1812,  which  in  many  places  threw  up,  in  an  in- 
stant, vast  heaps  of  earth  ;  to  have  been  the  principle  of  galvinism 
bursting  from  the  depths  beneath,  in  a  perpendicular  direction, 
overwhelming,  in  a  moment  of  time,  whatever  might  be  where  it 
fell. 

Further  down  the  Susqyehannah,  some  thirty  or  forty  miles  be- 
low Towanda,  at  a  place  called  the  Black-walnut  Bottom,  on  the 
farm  of  a  JSIr.  Kinney,  was  discovered  the  most  extraordinary  spe- 
cimen of /)oWcr?/  ever  known  before  on  the  earth. 

Respecting  this  discovery,  the  owner  of  the  farm  relates,  as  we 
are  informed,  by  a  clergyman,  who  examined  the  article  on  the 
spot,  though  in  a  broken  state,  that  soon  after  the  first  settlements 
on  that  river,  and  especially  on  that  farm,  a  great  freshet  took  place, 
which  tore  a  channel,  in  a  certain  direction,  across  the  flat,  when 
the  vessel  which  we  are  about  to  describe,  Avas  brought  to  light. 

It  was  twelve  feet  across  the  top,  and,  of  consequence,  was  thirty- 
six  feet  in  circumference,  and  otherwise  of  proportionable  depth  and 
form.  Its  thickness  was  three  inches,  and  appeared  to  be  made  of 
some  coarse  substance,  probably  mere  clay,  such  as  might  be  found 
on  the  spot,  as  it  was  not  glazed.  Whoever  its  makers  were,  they 
must  have  manufactured  it  on  the  spot  where  it  was  found,  as  it 
must  have  been  impossible  to  move  so  huge  a  vessel.  They  may 
have  easily  effected  its  construction,  by  building  it  up  by  degrees, 
with  layers  put  on  in  succession,  till  high  enouga  to  suit  the  enor- 
mous fancy  of  its  projectors,  and  then  by  piling  wood  around,  it 


^ 


no 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


might  have  been  burnt  so  as  to  be  fit  for  use,  and  then  propped  up 
by  stones,  to  keep  it  from  falling  npart. 

But  who  can  tei'  for  what  use  this  vast  vessel  v/as  inten'^.ed  ;  con- 
jecture here  is  lost,  no  ray  of  light  dawns  upon  this  strange  rem- 
nant of  antiquity.  One  might  be  led  to  suppose  it  was  made  in 
imitation  of  the  great  Lnver  in  the  court  of  Solomon's  Temple 
which  was  seventeen  feet  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  fifty  two 
feet  six  inches  in  circumference,  and  eight  feet  nine  inches  deep. 
—2  Chron.  iv.  2. 

The  discovery  of  this  vast  specimen  of  earthen  ware,  is  at  any 
rate  a  singularity,  and  refers  to  some  age  of  the  world  when  the  in- 
habitants used  very  large  implements  of  husbandry.  If  there  had 
been  in  its  neighbourhood  a  salt  spring,  as  there  are  often  found 
farther  west,  we  should  not  be  at  a  loss  to  know  for  what  purpose 
it  was  constructed. 

Remarkable  specimens  of  pottery  are  often  brought  up  from 
very  great  depths  at  the  salt  works  in  Illinois.  Entire  pots  of 
a  very  large  capacity,  holding  from  eight  to  ten  gallons,  have  been 
disinterred  at  the  amazing  depth  of  eighty  feet  ;  others  have  been 
found  at  even  greater  depths,  and  of  greater  dimensions. — School- 
craft. Upon  this  subject  tliis  author  makes  the  following  remarks  : 
"  If  these  antique  vessels  are  supposed  now  to  lie  in  those  depths 
where  they  were  anciently  employed,  the  surface  of  the  Ohio,  and 
consequently  of  the  Mississippi,  must  have  been  sixty  or  eighty 
feet  lower  than  they  are  at  present,  to  enable  the  saline  water  to 
drain  off;  and  the  ocean  itself  must  have  stood  at  a  lower  level,  or 
extended  in  an  elongated  gulf  up  the  present  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi." 

Many  are  of  the  opinion  that  much  of  this  region  of  country  once 
lay  .beneath  large  lakes  of  water,  and  that  the  barriers  between 
them  and  the  ocean,  by  some  means,  were  broken  down,  when  a 
rush  of  water  swept  the  v^hole  country,  in  its  course  to  the  sea,  bu- 
rying all  the  ancient  nations,  with  their  works,  at  those  depths  be- 


"  HlMiM.Wi^.O"'''-'^'--  ■■ 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


Ill 


neatli  the  surface,   as  low  as  where  those  fragments  of  earthen 
ware  are  found.     This  is  also  supposed  to  be  the  true  origin  of  the 
immense  prairies  of  the  west  ;  and  the  reason  why  they  are  not, 
lon.'T  since,  grown  over  with  forest  trees,  is  supposed  to  be,  because 
from  the  rich  and  mucky  soil,  found  at  the  bottom  of  those  lakes, 
a  grass  of  immense  length,  (ten  and  fourteen  feet  high,)  peculiar 
to  the  prairies,  immediately  sprung  up,  before  trees  could  take  root, 
and  therefore  hindered  this  effort  of  nature.     And  as  a  reason  why 
forest  trees  have  not  been  able  to  gain  upon  the  prairies,  it  is  al- 
leged the  Indians  burn  annually  thees  boundless  meadows,  which 
ministers  to  their  perpetuity.  Some  of  those  prairies  are  hundreds  of 
miles  in  length  and  breadth,  and  in  burning  over  present,  in  the  night, 
a  spectacle  too  grand,  sublime  and  beautiful  for  adequate  descrip- 
tion ;  belting  the  horizon  with  a  rim  of  fire,  the  farthest  ends  of 
which  seem  dipped  in  the  immeasural)le  distance,  so  that  even  con- 
templation, in  its  minutest  and  boldest  efforts,  is  entirely  swallowed 
up  and  rendered  feeble  and  powerless. 


•   • 


O    •• 


A  CATACOMB  OF  MU.MMIES  FOUND  IX  KENTUCKY. 

Lexington,  in  Kentucky,  stands  nearly  on  the  site  of  an  ancient 
town,  which  was  of  great  extent  and  magnificence,  as  is  amply 
evinced  by  the  wide  range  of  its  circumvallatory  works,  and  the 
quantity  of  ground  it  once  occupied. 

There  is  connected  with  the  antiquities  of  this  place,  a  catacomb, 
formed  in  the  bowels  of  the  limestone  rock,  about  fifteen  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  earth,  adjacent  to  the  town  of  Lexington.  This 
grand  object,  so  novel  and  extraordinary  in  this  country,  was  dis- 
covered in  seventeen  hundred  and  seventy-five,  by  some  of  the  first 
settlers,  whose  curiosity  was  excited  by  something  remarkable  in  the 
character  of  the  stones  which  covered  the  entrance  to  the  cavern 
within.   They  removed  these  stones,  and  came  to  others  of  singular 


i 


112 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


appearance  fur  stones  in  a  natural  state  ;  the  removal  of  which 
laid  open  the  mouth  of  a  cave,  deep,  gloomy,  and  terrific,  as  they 
supposed . 

With  augmented  numbers,  and  provided  with  light,  they  de- 
scended, and  entered,  without  obstruction  ;  a  spacious  apartment, 

the  sides  and  extreme  ends  were  formed  into  nitches  and  compart- 
mens,  and  occupied  by  figures  representing  men.     When  alarm 

subsided,  and  the  sentiment  of  dismay  and  surprise  permitted  fur- 
ther research  and  enquiry,  the  figures  were  found  to  be  Mummies, 
preserved  by  the  art  of  embalming,  to  as  great  a  state  of  perfection, 
as  was  known  among  the  ancient  Egyptians,  sixteen  hundred  years 
before  the  Christian  era  ;  which  was  about  the  time  the  Israelites 
were  in  bondage  in  Egypt  when  this  art  was  in  its  highest  state  of 
perfection. 

Unfortunately  for  antiquity,  science,  and  every  thing  else  held 
sacred  by  the  illumined  and  learned,  this  inestimable  discovery 
was  made  at  a  period  wlien  a  bloody  and  inveterate  war  was  car- 
ried on  between  the  Indians  and  the  ^vhites  ;  and  the  power  of  the 
natives  was  displayed  in  so  savag^.a^anner,  that  the*  whites'wSre 
filled  with  the  spirit  of  revenge.  Animated  by  this  vindictive  spi- 
rit, the  discoverers  of  the  catacombs,  delighted  to  wreak  their  ven- 
geuce  even  on  the  mummies,  supposing  them  to  be  of  the  same 
Indian  race  with  whom  they  were  at  war. 

They  dragged  them  out  to  the  open  air,  tore;  the  bandages  open, 
kicked  the  bodies  into  dust,  and  made  a  general  bonfire  of  the  most 
ancient  remains  antiquity  could  boast.  The  descent  to  this  ca- 
vern is  gradual,  the  width  four  feet,  the  height  seven  only,  and  the 
whole  length  of  the  catacomb  was  found  to  be  eighteen  rods  and  a 
half,  by  six  and  a  half ;  and  calculating  from  the  nitches  and 
shelvings  on  the  sides,  it  was  sufficiently  capacious  to  have  contain- 
ed at  least  two  thousand  subjects. 

I  could  never,  says  Mr.  Ash,  from  whose  travels  we  have  taken 
this  account,  learn  the  exact  quantity  it  contained  ;  the  answers  to 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


113 


the  inquiries  which  he  made  respecting  it  were,  "  0  !  they  burnt 
up,  and  destroyed  hundreds  !"  Nor  could  he  arrive  at  any  know- 
ledge of  the  fashion,  manner,  and  apparel  of  the  mummies,  or  re- 
cieve  any  other  information  than  that  they  "  were  well  lapped  up^'' 
appeared  sound,  and  consumed  in  the  fire  wilh  a  rapid  flame. — 
But  not  being  contented  with  the  uncertain  information  of  persons, 
who,  it  seems,  had  no  adequate  knowledge  of  the  vflue  of  this  dis- 
covery, he  caused  the  cavern  to  he  gleaned  of  such  fragments  as 
yet  remained  in  the  nitches,  on  its  shelving  sides,  and  from  the 
floor.  The  quantity  of  remains  thus  gathered  up,  amounted  to  for- 
ty or  fifty  baskets,  the  dust  of  which  was  so  light  and  pungent  as  to 
affect  the  eyes  even  to  tears,  and  the  nose  to  sneezing  to  a  trouble- 
some degree. 

He  then  proceeded  on  a  minute  investigation  and  separated  from 
the  general  mass,  several  pieces  of  human  limbs,  fragments  of  bo- 
dies, solid,  sound,  and  apparently  capable  of  eternal  duration.  In 
a  cold  state  they  had  no  smell  whatever,  but  when  submitted  to  the 
action  of  fire,  gave  out  an  agreeable  eflluvia,  but  was  like  nothing 
in  its  fragrance,  to  which  he  could  compare  it. 

On  this  subject  Mr.  Ash  has  the  following  reflections. :  "  How 
these  bodies  were  embalmed,  how  long  preserved,  by  what  nationS) 
and  from  what  people  descended,  no  opinion  can  be  formed,  nor 
any  calculation  made,  but  what  must  result  from  speculative  fancy 
and  wild  conjectures.  For  my  part,  I  am  lost  in  the  deepest  igno- 
rance. My  reading  affords  me  no  knowledge  ;  my  travels  po  light. 
I  have  neither  read  nor  known  of  any  of  the  North  Americ&n  In- 
dians who  formed  catacombs  for  their  dead,  or  who  were  acquaint* 
ed  with  the  art  of  preservation  by  embalming. 

The  Egyptians,   according  to  Herodotus,  who  flourished  450 

years  before  Christ,  had  three  methods  of  embalming  ;   but  Diodo- 

rus,  who  lived  before  Christ,  in  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar,  observes 

that  the  ancient  Egyptians  had  ^  fourth  method  of  far  greater  supe- 

15 


,^' 


114 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


f 


riority.  That  method  is  not  described  by  Diodonis,  it  had  become 
extinct  in  his  time  ;  and  yet  I  cannot  think  it  presumptuous  to  con- 
ceive that  the  American  mummies  were  preserved  after  that  very 
manner,  or  at  least  uith  a  mode  oi  equal  virtue  and  eflect." 

The  Kentuckians  asserted,  that  the  features  of  the  face,  and  the 
form  of  the  whole  hody  M'as  so  well  preserved,  that  they  must  have 
been  the  exact  representations  of  the  once  living  suhjects. 

This  cavern  indeed  is  similar  to  those  found  in  Egypt,  where  the 
once  polished  and  powerful  inhabitants  bestowed  their  dead,  wrap- 
ped up  in  the  linens,  spices  and  arometics  of  the  east.  It  is  proba- 
ble the  cave  wherp  llipso  were  found  was  partly  natural  and  partly 
artificial  ;  having  found  it  suitable  to  their  purpose,  they  had  open- 
ed a  convenient  descent,  cleared  out  the  stones  and  rocks,  and  fitted 
it  with  nitches  for  the  reception  of  those  they  had  embalmed. 

This  custom,  it  would  seem,  is  purely  Ep,yptian,  and  was  prac- 
tised in  the  earliest  age  of  their  national  existence,  which  was 
about  two  thousand  years  before  Christ.  Catacombs  are  numerous 
all  over  Egypt,"  vast  excavations  under  ground,  with  nitches  in 
their  sides  for  their  embalmed  dead,  exactly  such  as  the  one  we 
have  described. 

Shall  we  be  esteemed  presumptuous,  if  we  hazard  the  opinion 
that  the  people  who  made  this  cavern,  and  filled  it  with  the  thou- 
sands of  their  embalmed  dead  were,  indeed,  from  Egypt.  If  they 
were  not,  whither  shall  we  turn  for  a  solution  of  this  mystery  .'  To 
what  country  shall  we  travel,  where  are  the  archieves  of  past  ages, 
that  shall  argue  to  this  point  .' 

If  the  Egyptians  were,  indeed,  reckoned  as  the  first  of  nations  ; 
for  so  are  they  spoken  of,  even  in  the  Scriptures :  If  from  them  was 
derived  the  art  of  navigation,  the  knowledge  of  astronomy,  in  a 
great  degree,  also  the  unparalleled  invention  of  letters,  with  many 
other  arts,  of  use  to  human  society  ;  such  as  architecture,  agricul- 
ture, with  the  science  of  government,  &c.  ;  why  not  allow  the  au- 
thors of  the  antiquated  works  about  Lexington,  together  with  the 


AND   DISCOVKRtES   IN   THE  WEST. 


115 


immense  catacomb,  to  be,  iudeed,  an  Egi/ptian  cohmj;  seeing  the 
art  of  embalming  which  is  pcculiarli/  characteristic  of  that  people, 
was  found  there  in  ii  state  oi  perfection  not  exceeded  by  the  mother 
country  itself. 

A.  trait  of  national  practices  so  strong  and  palpable,  as  is  this  pe- 
culiar art,  should  lead  the  mind,  without  hesitation,  to  a  belief  that 
wherever  the  thing  is  practised,  we  have  found  in  its  authors  either 
a  colony  direct  from  Egypt,  or  the  descendants  of  some  nation  of 
the  countries  of  Africa  acquainted  witli  the  art. 

But  if  this  be  so,  the  question  here  arises,  how  came  they  in 
America,  seeing  the  nearest  point  of  even  South  America  approach- 
es no  nearer  to  the  nearest  point  of  Africa,  than  about  seventeen 
hundred  miles.  Those  points  are,  first,  on  the  American  side,  Cape 
St.  Uoque  ;  and,  second,  on  the  African  side.  Cape  de  Verd. 

And  such  is  the  mechanism  of  the  globe,  and  the  operation  of  the 
waters,  that  from  the  west  coast  of  Africa  there  is  a  constant  cur- 
rent of  the  sea  setting  toward  South  America  ;  so  that  if  a  vessel 
were  lost,  or  if  an  eastern  storm  had  driven  it  far  into  the  sea,  or 
South  Atlantic  ;  it  would  naturally  arrive  at  last  on  the  American 
coast.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  predicament  of  the 
fleet  of  Alexander  the  Great,  some  hundred  years  before  the 
Christian  era,  as  we  have  before  related. 

The  next  inquiry  to  be  pursued,  is,  whether  the  Egyptians  were 
ever  a  maritime  people,  or  rather  anciently  so,  sutficient  for  our 
purpose  ^ 

By  consulting  ancient  history,  we  find  it  mentioned  that  the 
Egyptians,  as  early  as  fourteen  hundred  and  eighty-five  years  be- 
fore Christ,  had  shipping,  and  that  one  Danus,  with  his  fifty 
daughters,  sailed  into  Greece,  and  anchored  at  Rhodes  ;  which  is 
three  thousand,  three  hundred  and  seventeen  years  back  from 
the  present  year,  1832.  Eight  hundred  and  eighty-one  years  aftei 
the  landing  of  this  vessel  at  Rliodes,  we  find  the  Egyjitians,  under 
the  direction  of  Necho,  their  king,  fitting  out  some  Phoenicians  with 


no 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


w 


a  veisel,  or  fleet,  with  orders  to  sail  from  the  Red  Sea,  quite 
•round  the  contiuent  of  Africa,  and  to  return  by  the  Mediterranean, 
which  they  efTected- 

It  is  easy  to  pursue  the  very  tract  they  sailed,  in  order  to  circum- 
navigate Africa  ;  sailing  from  some  pore  oir  the  lied  Sea,  they  pass 
down  to  the  Strait  of  Jiabclmandel,  into  the  Indian  Ocean  ;  thence 
■outh,  around  the  Cape  of  Cood  IIoj)e,  into  the  South  Atlantic  ; 
thence  north,  along  the  African  coast  on  the  west  side,  which  would 
carry  tliem  all  along  opposite,  or  east  of  South  America. 

Pursuing  this  course,  they  would  pass  into  the  Mediterranean  at 
the  Strait  of  Gibraltar,  and  so  on  to  Egypt,  mooring  at  Alexandria, 
on  the  south  end  of  the  Mediterranean  ;  a  voyage  of  more  than  six- 
teen thousand  miles  ;  two  thirds  of  the  distince  round  the  earth. 
Many  ages  after  their  first  settlement  in  Egypt,  they  were  the  lead- 
ing nation  in  maritime  skill,  and  other  arts. 

It  is  true,  a  knowledge  of  the  compass,  as  an  aid  to  navigation, 
was  in  those  early  ages  unknown  ;  but  to  counterbalance  this  de- 
fect, they  were  much  more  skilful  in  a  knowledge  of  the  stars,  as 
guide'i  to  their  courses,  than  men  are  at  the  present  day. 

But  if  we  cannot  allow  the  Egyptians  to  have  visited  South  Ame- 
ri'ca,  and  all  the  islands  between,  on  voyages  of  discovery,  which  by 
no  means  can  be  supposed  chimerical,  we  are  ready  to  admit  they 
may  have  been  driven  there  by  an  eastern  storm  ;  and  as  favouring 
8uch  a  circumstance,  the  current  which  sets  from  the  African  coast 
toward  South  America,  should  not  be  forgotten. 

If  it  be  allowed  that  this  mode  of  reasoning  is  at  all  conclusive, 
the  same  will  apply  in  favour  of  their  having /rs/  hit  on  the  (oast 
of  the  West  Indies,  as  that  this  group  of  islands,  as  they  now  exist, 
is  much  more  favourable  to  a  visit  from  that  particular  part  of  Afri- 
ca called  Egypt,  than  is  South  America. 

Egypt  and  the  West  Indies  are  exactly  in  the  same  latitude, 
that  is,  the  northern  part  of  those  islands ;  both  being  between 
twenty  and  thirty  degrees  north. 


AND  discovehies  irc  the  west. 


U7 


•  9 


Soiling  from  Egypt  out  of  the  Mediterranean,  pa.tsing  through 
the  Strait  of  Gibralter,  would  throw  a  vessel,  in  rase  of  an  eastern 
storm,  aided  by  the  current,  as  high  north  as  oppobitt-  the  Bahama 
islands.  A  hlow^of  but  a  few  days  in  that  direction,  would  be  quite 
sufficient  to  have  driven  an  Egyptian  lleet,  vessel,  or  boat,  or  what- 
ever they  may  have  sailed  in,  entirely  on  to  the  coast  of  ths  West 
Indies.  The  trade  winds  sweep  westward  across  the  Atlantic, 
through  a  space  of  50  or  60  degrees  of  longitude,  carrying  every 
thing  within  their  current  directly  to  the  American  coast.         > 

If  such  may  have  been  the  case,  they  were,  indeed,  in  a  maoQei 
on  the  very  continent  itself,  especially,  if  the  opinion  of  President 
Jefferson  and  others  be  allowed,  that  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which  is 
situated  exactly  behind  those  islands,  west,  has  been  scooped  out 
by  the  current,  which  makes  from  the  equator  toward  the  north. 

Kentucky  itself,  where  we  think  we  have  found  the  remains  of 
an  Egyptian  colony,  or  nation,  as  in  the  case  of  the  works  and  cat- 
acomb at  Lexington,  is  in  latitude,  but  five  degrees  north  of  Egypt. 
So  that  whether  they  may  have  visited  America  on  a  voyage  of  ex- 
ploration, or  have  been  driven  on  the  coast,  against  their  will ;  in 
either  case,  it  would  be  perfectly  natural,  that  they  should  have  es- 
tablished themselves  in  that  region. 

Traits  of  Egyptian  manners  were  found  among  many  of  the  na- 
tions of  South  America,  mingled  with  those  who  appeared  to  be  of 
other  origin ;  of  which  we  shall  speak  in  the  course  of  this  work. 
But  at  Lexington,  the  traits  are  too  notorious  to  allow  them  to  be 
other  than  pure  Egyptian,  in  full  possession  of  the  strongest  com- 
plexion of  their  national  character,  that  of  embalming,  which  was 
connected  with  their  religion. 

The  Mississippi,  which  disembogues  itself  into  the  Mexican  Gulf, 
is  in  the  same  north  latitude  with  Egypt,  and  may  iiave,  by  its  like- 
ness to  the  Egyptian  Nile,  invited  those  adventurers  to  pursue  its 
course,  till  a  place  suited  to  their  views,  or  necessities,  may  have 
presented.  -  ...  ■  . 


118 


AMf.KICAIN    AINTIQUITIES 


I 


The  ancient  Punic,  PhcEnician,  or  Cartliaginian  language,  is  all 
the  same  ;  the  characters  called  Punic,  or  Phoenician,  therefore, 
are  also  the  same.  A  fac  simile  of  those  characters  may  be  seen 
in  the  Commentary  on  the  book  of  Acts,  28th  Chapter,  as  furnished 
by  Adam  Clark,  who  says  that  specimen  is  one  of  the  largest  re- 
mains of  the  Punic  languiige,  now  in  existence .  These,  he  says, 
were  found  in  a  sepulchral  cave,  in  1761,  on  tlie  island,  Malta,  in 
the  Mediterranean,  cut  in  a  square  stone.  Characters  of  this  de- 
scription, are  also  foutid  on  some  rocks,  in  Digliton,  Massachusetts, 
and  are  supposed  of  Phoenician  origin. 

In  a  chain  of  mountains  between  the  rivers  Oronoco  and  Ama- 
zon, in  South  America,  are  found  engraved  iii  a  cavern,  on  a  block 
of  granite,  characters  supposed  also  to  be  Punic  letters.  It  is  easy 
to  perceive  the  likeness  there  is  between  those  which  are  furnished 
by  Baron  Humboldt,  and  those  represented  by  the  fac  simile  given 
us  by  Adam  Clark,  about  which  there  need  be  no  doubts  respecting 
their  genuineness.  If,  then,  it  is  allowed,  that  Phoenicians  have 
visited  America,  why  not  Egyptians  ?  of  whom  the  Phoenicians 
first  learned  the  art  of  navigation,  as  it  was  understood  in  those  ages, 
as  well  also  as  the  invention  of  letters. 

The  discovery  of  these  mummies  is  partially  noticed  by  Morse, 
in  his  Universal  Geography,  Vol.  1st,  page  500.  "  Near  Lexing- 
ton are  found  curious  sepulchres,/;///  of  human  skeletons."  "  Oth- 
er travellers  assert,  that  several  bundled  mummies  were  discovered 
near  Lexington  in  a  cave,  but  were  wholly  destroyed  by  the  first 
settlers." — Western  Cuzeitccr,  purje  103. 


iiP' 


A    FURTHER    ACCOUNT    OF    WES'J'ERX    ANTIQUITIES,   WITH 
AN  'JE  DILU  A'  I A  N  TRAITS . 

Cincinnati,  is  situated  on  one  of  those  examples  of  antiquity, 
of  great  extent.     They  are  found  on  the  upper  level  of  that  towli, 

■♦'■■ 


•  > 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   '    IE  WEST. 


119 


but  none  on  tlie  lower  one.     They  are  so  conspicuous  as  to  catch 
the  first  range  of  the  eye. 

There  is  every  reason  to  suppose,  that  at  the  remote  period  of 
the  building  of  these  antiquities,  the  lowest  level  formed  part  of 
the  bed  of  the  Ohio.  A  gentleman  who  was  living  near  the  town 
of  Cincinnati,  in  1826,  on  the  upper  level,  had  occasion  to  sink  a 
well  for  his  accommodation,  who  persevered  in  digging  to  the  depth 
of  80  feet  without  finding  water,  but  still  persisting  in  the  attempt, 
his  workmen  found  themselves  obstructed  by  a  substance,  which 
resisted  their  labour,  though  evidently  not  stone.  They  cleared  the 
surface  and  sides  from  the  earth  bedded  around  it,  wKen  there  ap- 
peared the  slump  of  a  tree,  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  two  feet 
high,  which  had  been  cut  down  with  an  axe.  The  blows  of  the 
axe  were  yet  visible. 

It  was  nearly  of  the  colour  and  apparent  character  of  coal,  but 
had  not  the  friable  and  fusible  quality  of  that  mineral ;  ten  feet  be- 
low, the  water  sprang  up,  and  the  well  is  now  in  constant  supply, 
and  high  repute. 

Reflections  on  this  discovery  are  these,  first ;  that  the  tree  was 
imdoubtedly  antediluvian.  Second;  that  tlie  river  now  called 
the  Ohio,  did  not  exist  anterior  to  the  deluge,  in  as  much  as  the  re- 
mains of  the  tree  were  found  (irmly  rooted,  in  its  original  position, 
several  feet  below  the  bed  of  that  river.  Third ;  that  America  was 
peopled  before  the  flood,  as  appears  from  the  action  of  the  axe,  in 
cutting  down  the  tree.  Fourth ;  tliat  the  antediluvian  Americans, 
were  acquainted  with  the  use  and  properties  of  iron,  as  the  rust  of 
the  axe  was  on  the  top  of  the  stump  wlien  discovered. 

And  why  should  they  not  be  acquainted  with  both  its  properties 
and  utility,  seeing  it  was  an  antediluvian  discovery.  Tubal  Cain, 
one  of  the  sous  of  Cain,  the  son  of  Adam,  we  find,  according  to 
Genesis,  iv.  chap.  22d  verse,  was  a  blacksmith,  and  worked  in  iron 
and  brass,  more  than  a  thousand  years  before  the  flood. 


^ 


.i 


120 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


It  was  about  five  hundred  years  from  the  creation,  when,  Tubal 
Cain  is  noticed  in  the  sacred  history,  to  have  been  a  worker  in  brass 
and  iron ;  but,  says  Dr.  Clark  the  commentator,  "  although  this  is 
the  first  smith  on  record,  who  taught  how  to  make  warlike  instru- 
ments, and  domestic  utensils,  out  of  brass  and  iron,  yet  a  know- 
ledge of  metal,  must  have  existed  long  before,  for  Cain  was  a  tiller 
of  the  ground,  and  so  was  Adam,  which  they  could  not  have  been, 
without  spades,  hooks,  &c." 

According  to  this  opinion,  it  would  appear,  that  in  the  very  first 
period  of  time,  men  were  acquainted  ^vith  the  metals,  and  as  they 
diverged  from  the  common  centre,  which  was  near  the  garden  of 
Eden,  they  carried  with  them  a  knowledge  of  this  all  important 
discovery. 

If  the  stump  is  indeed  antediluvian,  we  learn  one  important  fact, 
and  this  is  it ;  America,  by  whatever  name  it  was  called  before  the 
deluge,  was  then  a  body  of  earth  above  the  waters ;  and  also,  was 
connected  with  Asia ;  where,  it  is  allowed  on  all  hands,  man  was 
originated. 

If  it  were  not  connected  with  Asia,  it  might  be  inquired,  how 
then  came  men  in  America,  before  the  flood,  the  traits  of  whose  in- 
dustry, and  agricultural  pursuits,  are  discovered  in  the  felling  of 
this  tree,  as  well  as  a  great  number  of  other  instances,  of  which  we 
shall  speak  by  and  by. 

It  is  not  probable,  that  before  the  flood,  there  was  so  small  a  quan- 
tity of  dry  land,  on  the  earth,  as  at  the  present  time  ;  the  waters  of 
the  globe  being  generally  hid  beneath  the  incumbent  soil,  so  that  an 
easy  communication  of  all  countries  with  each  other,  existed ;  which 
must  have  greatly  facilitated  the  progress  of  man,  in  "  peopling, 
and  subduing  it." 

We  know  very  well,  it  is  said,  "  the  gathering  together  of  the 
waters,  called  He  seas  ;"  but  it  does  not  follow,  that  they  were  not 
subterranean ;  and  it  is  more  than  intimated,  that  such  was  the  fact, 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN    THE  WEST. 


121 


when  it  is  said,  "  all  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  were  broken 
up,"  on  the  day  the  flood  commenced. 

But  by  what  means  were  they  broken  up,  this  is  left  to  conjec- 
ture, as  tliat  the  Scriptures  are  higher  in  their  aim,  than  the  mere 
graliiication  of  curious  questions  of  this  sort ;  but  in  some  way  this 
was  done.  The  very  terms,  "  broken  up,"  signify  the  exertion  of 
power  and  vioknce,  of  sufficient  force  to  burst,  at  once,  whole  con- 
tinents from  tlie  face  of  the  deep,  and  also,  to  throw  out,  at  one 
wide  rush,  the  central  waters  of  the  globe. 

But  can  we  conceive  of  any  means  made  use  of  to  effect  this, 
other  than  the  direct  pressure  of  God's  power,  sinking  the  earth  to 
the  depths  beneath,  so  that  the  water  might  rise  above,  taking  the 
place  of  the  land .'  We  imagine  we  can. 

It  is  well  known,  the  velocity  of  the  earth  in  its  onward  motion 
round  the  sun  is  about  twenty  miles  a  second,  nearly  the  speed  of 
lightning.  Let  Him,  therefore,  who  at  first  imposed  this  incon- 
ceivable velocity,  stop  the  earth  in  this  motion,  suddenly ;  what 
would  the  effect  be .'  all  the  fluids,  that  is,  the  waters,  whether 
above  ground,  or  underneath  it,  would  rush  forward,  with  a  power 
equal  to  their  weight,  which  would  be  sufficient  to  burst  away 
mountains,  or  any  impediment  whatever;  and  rushing  round  the 
globe,  from  the  extreme  western  point,  rolling  one  half  of  the 
mighty  flood  over  this  side  of  it,  and  the  o.her  half  over  the  anti- 
pode  on  the  other  side,  which  is  relatively  beneath  us,  till  the  two 
half  worlds  of  water  should  meet  at  the  extreme  east,  where  heap- 
ing up,  by  their  force,  above  a  common  level,  would  soon,  but  gra- 
dually, roll  back  to  their  original  places,  as  the  earth  should  again 
go  forward ;  this  is  our  opinion  of  the  way  "  all  the  fountains  of 
the  great  deep  were  broken  up." 

If  the  earth  were  to  be  arrested  in  its  course,  now,  the  effect 
would  be  the  same.  Suppose  we  illustrate  the  position,  for  a  mo- 
ment.     Place  a  vessel  of  water  on  a  plank,  for  instance,  open  on 

the  top,  like  a  common  bowl,  fastened  to  Jie  plank,  so  that  it  should 

16 


*{ 


123 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


i^  /  not  be  liable  to  be  overset.  Cause  this  plank  to  move,  at  first  slow- 
ly,  but  increase  its  steady,  onward  velocity,  as  much  as  the  fluid 
will  bear,  without  causing  a  reaction ;  when,  therefore  its  utmost 
speed  is  obtained,  ttop  it  suddenly ;  the  effect  v.ould  be,  the  water 
in  the  vessel  would  instantly  fly  over,  leaving  the  bowl  behind. 
Such,  therefore,  we  imRc;ine,  would  be  the  efiect,  if  the  earth  were 
now  caused  to  stand  suddeily  still,  in  its  orbit;  except  this  difler- 
ence,  the  law  of  gravitation,  would  prevent  the  waters  of  the  earth 
from  leaving  the  surface,  but  would  cause  a  rapid  current,  in  the 
direction  the  earth  was  pursuing. 

That  the  waters  of  the  deluge  carae  from  the  west,  is  evident, 
from  the  manner  in  which  the  various  strata  of  the  earth  is  situated, 
over  the  wh:le  of  our  country  ;  and  that  its  motion  was  very  vio- 
lent, is  also  evident,  from  the  arptarance  of  native,  or  primitive 
rock,  being  found  en  the  top  of  that  which  is  of  secondary  forma- 
tion, and  of  gravel  and  sand  in  hills,  and  smaller  eminences,  lying 
on  beds  of  clay,  and  soils  of  various  kinds  below  it. 

The  effects  of  the  deluge  can  be  traced  in  all  the  earth  in  this 
way,  and  particulary  about  Albany,  Saratoga,  and  about  the  lakes, 
and  to  the  east,  showing  the  waters  flowed  in  that  direction. 

For  a  beautiful  and  able  description  of  this  subject,  see  Thomas' 
Travel's,  published  at  Auburn,  under  the  head,  "  The  Deluge." 

At, the  same  time  the  waters  above  the  firmament,  were  permit- 
ted to  burst  downward,  which  in  its  fall,  subdivided  into  drops,  as 
is  natural ;  so  that  one  vast  perpetual  storm,  for  forty  days  and  for- 
ty nights,  rushed  with  all  the  violence  of  a  tornado,  upon  the  globe, 
quite  around  it,  by  which,  in  so  short  a  time,  the  highest  hills  were 
buried  fifteen  cubits  deep,  and  upward ;  this  is  what  we  sup- 
»  pose  is  meant  by  the  words  "  and  the  windows  of  heaven  were 
opened." 

In  this  way  the  surface  of  our  earth  was  ruined ;  a  disproportion- 
ate quantity  of  water,  caused  to  appear  on  the  surface,  while  in  the 
same  ratio,  the  land  has  sunk  to  the  depths  below. 


xr> 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IM    THE   WEST- 


ISS 


Sixteen  liundred  years  and  rising  was  the  space  of  time  allowed 
from  the  creation  till  the  flood  ;  a  time  quite  sufficient  to  people  the 
whole  earth,  even  if  it  were  then  enjoying  a  surface  of  dry  land, 
twice  as  much  as  it  does  at  the  present  time,  being  but  about  one- 
fourth  )  and  America,  as  appears  from  tliis  one  monument,  the 
stump  of  Cincinnati,  \va3  a  part  of  the  earth  which  was  peopled  by 
the  Antediluvians. 

The  celebrated  antiquarian,  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  late  of  New- 
York,  with  oilier  gentlemen,  eminent  for  their  knowledge  of  natu- 
ral history,  are  even  of  the  opinion  that  America  was  the  country 
where  Adam  was  created.  In  a  letter  to  Governor  De  Witt  Clin- 
ton, in  which  this  philosopher  argued  the  common  origin  of  the 
people  of  America,  and  t'nose  of  Asia,  he  says :  "  I  avoid  the  op- 
portunity which  this  grand  conclusion  affords  me,  of  stating,  that 
America  was  the  cradle  of  the  human  race ;  of  tracing  its  colonies 
westward  over  the  Pacific  Ocer.n,  r.nd  beyond  the  sea  of  Kamschat- 
ka,  to  new  settlements  ;  of  following  the  emigrants  by  land  and  wa- 
ter, until  they  reached  Europe  and  Africa.  I  had  no  inclination  to 
oppose  the  current  opinions  relative  to  the  place  of  mans  creation 
and  dispersion.  I  thought  it  was  scarcely  wortli  the  while  to  in- 
form an  European,  that  on  coming  to  America,  he  had  left  the  new 
world  behind  him,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  old" — American 
Antiquarian  Society^  parte  331.  , 

But  this  opinion  cannot  obtain  ;  if  we  place  the  least  reliance  on 
the  statement  of  Moses,  in  his  l)ook  of  Genesis ;  who  gives  a  cir- 
cumstantial account  of  the  place  of  man's  creation,  by  stating  the 
names  of  the  very  rivers,  arising  out  of  the  region  of  country  called 
Paradise ;  such  as  Pison,  Havilab,  Gihon,  Hiddekel,  and  Euphra- 
tes ;  or  as  they  now  are  called,  Phasis,  Araxcs,  Tigris,  and  Euphra- 
tes ;  this  last  retains  its  original  name. 

No  such  rivers  are  known  in  Amei  ica,  nor  the  countries  through 
which  they  flow.  Here  is  data  to  argue  from,  but  the  position,  or 
rather,  the  suggestion  of  Professor  Mitchell,  has  absolutely,  no  data 


I'M 


AMGRICAIf    ArfTIQUITIES 


whatever.  If  but  a  tradition,  favouring  tlmt  opinion,  were  found, 
even  among  the  Indians,  it  would  afford  some  foundation  :  but  as 
their  tradition  univprsally  alludes  to  some  part  of  the  earth,  far 
away,  from  whence  they  came,  it  would  seem  exceedingly  extrava- 
gant to  argue  a  contrary  belief. 

This  one  stvwp,  we  consider,  surpasses  in  consequence,  the  mag- 
nificence of  all  the  temples  of  anliqnily,  whose  forsaken  turrets, 
dilapidated  walls,  tottering  and  fallen  pillars,  which  speak  in  lan- 
guage loud  and  mournful,  the  story  of  their  ruin  ;  because  it  is  a 
remnant  of  matter,  in  form  and  fashion,  such  as  it  was,  before  the 
earth  "perished  by  water,"  bearing  on  its  top,  the  indubitable 
marks  of  the  exertion  of  man,  of  so  remote  a  time. 

It  is  not  impossible  but  America  may  have  been  the  country 
where  Noah  builded  his  ark,  as  directed  by  the  Most  High. 

We  know  very  well,  vLen  the  mind  refers  to  the  subject  of 
Noah's  Ark,  our  thovghts  are  in:mediately  ocrcciated  with  Mount 
Ararat,  because  it  rested  there,  on  the  subsiding  of  the  flood.  But 
this  circumstance  precludes  a  pcssibiii!y  of  its  having  been  built 
theref  if  we  ti.ow  the  waters  of  the  deliise  to  have  hod  any  cur- 
rents at  all.  It  is  said  in  Genesis,  that  the  Ark  floated,  or  v.as 
borne  upon  the  waters  above  the  e&ith,  and  also,  that  the  ark  ^^  went 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters.''''  From  which  fr.ct,  we  imr-riine  th.ere 
must  have  been  a.  current,  or  it  could  not  have  Kent  upon  the  M-a- 
ters.  Consequently,  it  v:cnt  from  the  place  where  it  was  built,  be- 
ing obedient  to  the  current  of  th.e  waters. 

Now  if  it  had  been  built  any  where  in  the  country  colled  Arme- 
nia, where  the  mountain  Ararat  is  situated ;  and  as  it  is  foi^nd  the 
waters  had  a  general  eastern  direction,  the  Ark  in  goiig  on  the  face 
0*"  ♦he  Avaters,  would  have  during  the  time  the  waters  of  the  de- 
ii!  >  prevailed,  which  was  an  hundred  and  fifty  days,  or  five  months, 
(th  it  is,  prevailed  after  the  commencement  of  the  deluge,  till  its 
greatest  depth  was  effected  ;)  gone  in  an  eastern  direction  as  far 
perhaps,  as  to  the  region  of  the  islands  .of  Japan,  beyond  China, 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST 


125 


■  u-ent 


pftst,  A  distance  of  about  six  thousand  miles  ;  which  would  be  at 
the  rate  of  about  forty  miles  a  day,  or  if  it  had  floated  faster,  would 
have  carried  it  into  the  Paciiic  Ocean. 

But  if  we  may  imagine  it  was  erected  in  North  America,  or  some 
where  in  the  latitude  of  the  state  of  New-York,  or  even  farther 
west,  the  current  of  the  deluge  would  have  borne  it  easterly.  And 
suppose  it  may  have  been  carried  at  the  rate  of  forty  or  fifty  miles  a 
day,  would,  during  the  time  the  waters  prevailed  ;  in  which  time, 
we  may  suppose,  a  current  existed,  have  progressed  as  far  as  to 
Ararat  ;  a  distance  of  nearly  six  thousand  miles,  where  it  did  actu- 
ally rest. 

More  than  sixteen  hundred  years  had  elapsed,  when  the  ark  was 
finished,  and  it  may  fairly  be  inferred,  that  as  Noah  was  bom  about 
one  thousand  years  after  the  creation  of  the  world,  that  mankind 
had  from  necessity,  arising  from  the  pressure  of  population,  gone 
very  far  away  from  the  regions  round  about  Eden  ;  and  the  coun- 
try where  Noah  was  b  orn  may  as  well  be  supposed  to  have  been 
America,  as  any  other  part  of  the  earth  ;  seeing  there  are  indubita- 
ble signs  of  antediluvian  population  in  many  parts  of  it.  Unite 
this  circumstance  with  that  of  the  ascertained  current  of  the  de. 
luge  from  America,  and  with  the  fad  of  the  Ark's  having  rested  in 
an  easterly  direction  from  this  country,  we  come  to  a  conclusion 
that  here,  perhaps  in  the  very  State  of  New-York,  the  miraculous 
vesrel  w^as  erected,  and  bore  away,  treasured  with  its  enormous  ca- 
pacity, the  progenitors  of  the  human  race   renewed.     So  that  if 

America  have  not  the  honour  of  being  the  country  where  Adam 
was  created,  as  is  believed  by  some,  it  has  nevertheless  the  honour, 

as  supposed,  of  being  the  country  where  the  ark  was  erected. 

In  Morse's  Universal  Geography,   first  volume,  page  142,  the 

discovery  of  this  stump  is  corroborated  :  "  In  digging  a  well  in 

Cincinnati,  the  stump  of  a  tree  was  found  in  a  sound  st'tte,  ninety 

feet  below  the  surface  ^"  and  in  digging  another  well,  at  the  same 

place,  another  stump  was  found,  at  ninety-four  feet  below  the  sur- 


il;'« 

IM 


ri'W. 


126 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


face,  which  had  evident  marks  of  the  axe  ;  and  on  its  top  there 
appeared  as  if  some  iron  tool  had  been  consumed  by  rust." 

The  axe  had,  no  doubt,  been  struck  into  the  top  of  the  stump, 
when  the  horrors  of  the  dchifre  first  appeared,  in  the  bursting  forth 
of  the  waters  from  above,  that  is  from  tlie  windmcs  of  heaven  ; — 
when  sounds  terrific,  from  the  breaking  forth  of  the  waters  of  the 
great  deep,  and  from  the  shock  all  sensitive  beings  must  have  felt 
when  the  earth  was  caused  to  stand  still  in  its  onward  course  round 
the  sun,  for  the  space  perhaps  of  a  day.  Remember  Joshua,  at 
whose  command  and  prayer,  God  stopped  the  earth  for  the  space  of 
a  whole  day,  but  not  in  its  onward  course  around  the  sun,  but  its 
diurnal  motion  only,  which  could  not  have  any  effect  on  the  fluids 
of  the  earth,  as  the  sudden  interruption  of  the  other  motion  would 
have. 

Who  would  not  flee,  or  be  petrified  on  the  spot,  when  pheno- 
mena so  terrible,  without  presage  or  warning,  were  changing  the 
face  of  things,  and  the  feelings  of  the  atmosplicro  ;  the  earth  quiv- 
ering like  an  aspen  leaf  ;  forests  leaning  to  the  east,  and  snapping 
asunder  in  one  awful  crash  over  all  the  wide  wilderness  ;  rocks 
with  mountains  tumbling  from  their  summits  ;  the  stoutest  heart 
would  quail  at  such  an  hour  as  this  ;  an  axe,  with  all  things  else, 
would  be  left  by  the  owners,  and  a  general  flight,  if  they  could 
stand  at  all  on  their  feet,  would  take  place,  they  knew  not  wither, 
for  safety. 

In  one  of  the  communications  of  the  admired  Dr.  Samuel  L. 
Mitchell,  Professor  of  Natural  History,  to  the  American  Antiqua- 
rian Society,  he  mentions  a  certain  class  of  antiquities  as  distinguish- 
ed entirely  from  those  which  are  found  in  and  about  the  mounds  of 
the  west,  as  follows  :  In  the  section  cf  country  about  Fredonia,  on 
the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  are  discovered  objects  deservedly 
worthy  of  particular  and  inquisitive  research.  This  kind  of  anti- 
quities, present  themselves  on  digging  Crdm  thirty  to  fifty  feet 
below  the  present  surface  of  the  ground.  "  They  occur  in  the  form 


AND  DISCOVERIES   Ilf    THE    WEST. 


137 


of  fire  brands,  split  wood,  ashes,  coals,  and,  occasionally,  tools  and 
utensils,  buried  to  those  depths."  This,  it  will  be  perceived,  is 
much  below  the  bed  of  Lake  Eric,  of  consequence  must  have 
been  antediluvian,  and  agrees  with  the  discovery  of  the  stumps  at 
Cincinnati.  "  lam  informed  that  in  Rhode-Island, New-Jersey, 
Maryland,  North-Carolina,  and  in  Ohio,  such  discoveries  have  been 
made."  He  says,  "  I  wisli  the  members  of  the  society  would  ex- 
ert themselves  with  all  possible  dilligence  to  ascertain  and  collect 
the  facts  of  this  description.  They  will  he  exceedingly  curious, 
both  for  the  geologist  and  historian.  After  such  facts  shall  have 
been  collected  and  methodised,  we  may  perhaps  draw  some  satis- 
factory conclusions  ;  light  may  possibly  be  shed  upon  the  remote 
Pclastjians,  and  upon  the  traditionary  /  Mntides."  See  page  78  of 
this  work,  and  onward,  on  the  subject  of  the  Atlantidies. 

iBut  we  cannot  allow  the  discoveries  made  at  this  vast  depth,  to 
tong  to  any  ago,  or  to  any  of  the  works  of  man  this  side  the  de- 
luge, as  tliat  time  enough  has  not  elapsed  since  that  catastrophe,  to 
allow  the  decomposition  of  vegetables,  nor  of  convulsions,  to  have 
buried  these  articles  so  deep  beneath  the  surface  extending  over  so 
great  a  tract  of  country.  The  draining  of  lakes,  however  sudden, 
could  never  have  had  so  wide  and  universal  an  effect. 

It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  we  are  compelled  to  refer  them  to 
the  works  of  man  beyond  the  flood,  which,  by  the  ♦erflowing  of 
the  waters,  and  the  consequent  ruin  of  the  original  surface,  these 
works,  with  their  makers,  have  been  thus  buried  in  a  tomb  more 
dreadful  to  the  imagination  than  the  ordinary  recepticles  of  the 
dead. 

In  evidence  that  the  ocean,  at  some  period  in  sges  past,  over- 
whelmed the  American  continent,  we  notice,  from  the  "  British 
Spy,"  page  112,  an  account  of  the  discovery  of  the  skeleton  of  a 
whale,  in  Virginia  : 

"  Near  Williamsburgh  has  recently  been  discovered,  by  a  farm- 
er, while  digging  a  di^h  through  a  plat  of  ground,  about  five  feet 


*■ 


W 


128 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


below  the  surface,  a  conaiderable  portion  of  the  skeleton  of  a  whale. 
Several  fragments  of  the  ribs,  and  other  parts,  were  found,  with  the 
whole  of  the  vertebrae,  a  backbone,  regularly  arranged,  and  very 
little  impaired  as  to  figure.  The  spot  where  it  was  found  is  about 
two  miles  from  James  river,  and  about  sixty  from  the  sea.  In  the 
same  region,  at  depths  of  from  sixty  to  ninety  and  an  hundred  feet, 
have  been  found  the  teeth  of  sharks."  In  every  region  of  the 
earth,  as  well  as  America,  and  on  the  highest  mountains,  are  found 
the  bones  and  shells  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  sea.  From 
the  universality  of  those  appearances,  we  conclude  they  were  de- 
posited and  cast  thither  by  the  tempest  of  the  deluge. 

From  the  discoveries  of  articles  of  the  utensil  character,  the  bones 
of  whales,  the  teeth  of  sharks,  and  the  stumps  of  Cincinnati,  at 
various  depths,  as  stated  above  ;  we  are  led  to  the  conclusion,  that 
the  original  surface,  of  what  is  now  called  America,  was  perhaps 
not  much  disturbed  ;  but  was  rather  suddenly  overwhelmed  from 
the  west,  by  the  bursting  forth  of  the  subterranean  Pacific,  wij(.h, 
till  then,  had  been  covered  with  land,  mountains  and  vales,  thickly 
peopled. 

The  vast  depths  of  strata  of  loam,  sand,  clay,  gravel,  and  stone, 
which,  lie  over  each  other,  evincing,  from  the  unnatural  manner 
of  their  positions,  that  they  were  thrown  furiously,  by  the  agent, 
water,  oveHIhe  whole  continent,  furnished  from  the  countries  of 

the  Pacific. 

If  such  may  have  been  the  fact,  how  dreary,  sublime,  and  horri- 
ble, when  we  rellect  upon  the  immensity  of  the  antediluvian  popu- 
lation, west  of  America,  at  once  thrown,  with  all  their  works,  their 
wealth,  and  power,  rapidly  along  the  dreadful  current,  running 
cast,  broad  as  half  the  earth,  crushed  and  mingled  with  the  ruined 
world  of  their  own  country.  Here  it  may  be  supposed  at  different 
depths,  their  broken  bodies  are  buried,  together  with  the  antedilu- 
vians of  America  ;  while  above  them,  the  towns,  cities,  and  living 
world  of  the  present  times,  are  in  full  career.     As  we  pass  along, 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST. 


129 


over  the  surfucy  of  the  earth,  whether  for  recreation  and  to  breathe  the 
evenin|5  or  the  morning  air ;  enjoying  the  pleasant  promenade,  or 
roll  onwarJ  in  tlie  farioaj  chariot  ;  to  rolbct  that  this  soil  is  the 
same  once  forming  a  part  of  tha  va3t  covering  of  the  Western  Ocean  ; 
and  that  far  beneath  uj,  the  bodies  of  our  elder  brethren  are  sleep- 
ing, is  sad  and  mournftil. 

That  such  miy,  indoL-d,  b.i  ths  fact,  is  favoured  from  the  disco- 
very of  the  whale's  skeleton,  found  on  James  River,  which  could 
never  have  been  djposited  thire  by  other  means  than  the  flood  ; 
forced  onward  from  the  west,  till  killed  by  the  violence  and  agita- 
tion of  the  wood,  stone,  and  earth  encumbered  waters,  and  sunk 
finally  down,  where  it  was  recently  discovered. 

The  pottery  of  the  ancient  nations,  mentioned  by  Schoolcraft, 
found  at  the  vast  depth  of  eighty  feet,  and  even  at  greater  depths,  at 
the  great  Saline  in  Illinois,  is  evidence  of  an  antediluvian  popula- 
tion in  America. 

The  other  antiquities  at  Cincinnati,  are,  first,  a  Barrow  for  the 
dead  ;  second,  an  enclosed  or  fortified  Camp  ;  third,  Mounds.  < 

The  barrow  is  situated  exactly  on  the  edge  of  the  bank  that  over- 
looks the  lower  town,  the  principal  street  leading  from  the  water  is 
cut  through  it,  and  exposes  its  strata  and  remains  to  every  person 
passing  by.  Seven  tiers  of  skeletons  lay  plainly  in  sight,  where 
the  barrow  had  caved  away,  from  its  being  underminOT.  Among  the 
earth  thus  fallen  down,  were  found  several  stone  hatchets,  pieces 
of  pottery,  and  a  flile,  made  of  the  great  bone  of  the  human  leg. — 
This  is  a  very  curious  instrument,  with  beautifully  carved  figures, 
representing  birds,  squirrels,  and  small  animals,  with  perforated- 
holes,  in  the  old  German  manner,  which,  when  breathed  into,  emit- 
ted tones  of  great  melody. 

Among  the  modern  Indians,  no  such  instrument  has  ever  been 

found.    At  the  time  when  the  street  before  spoken  of,  was  opened 

through  this  barrow  of  the  dead,  a  great  variety  of  interesting  and 

valuable  relies  were  brought  to  light ;  among  which  were  human 

17 


'V 


ifj 


m 


130 


AMERICAN    ANTrQL'ITIKS 


¥m 


double  teclh^  which,  on  a  moderute  culculation,  bt'spoke  men  of  four 
times  the  size  of  the  modern  race  ;  some  brass  rings,  and  an  ivory 
image,  exquisitely  executed,  representing  a  female  figure,  in  the  act 
of  pressing  a  child"  to  her  naked  bosom.  lion  rings,  as  we  have  be- 
fore mentioned,  v/ere  anciently  used  among  the  Britons,  before  the 
Christian  era,  as  money  ;  and,  possibly  in  this  ease,  the  brass  rings 
found  in  this  barrow,  may  be  a  specimen  of  the  ancient  money  of 
America.  But  the  discovery  of  tliis  ivory  image,  we  think,  is 
equal,  if  not  surpassing,  any  thing  of  the  domestic  or  sacred  kind 
yet  brought  to  light  in  the  western  country.  It  is  said  to  be  now 
in  the  cabinet  of  rare  collections  once  in  the  possession  of  Thomas 
Jefferson. 

The  account  of  the  image  is  as  follows  :  It  is  seven  inches  high  ; 
the  figure  full  length  ;  the  costume,  a  robe,  in  numberless  folds, 
well  expressed,  and  the  hair  displayed  in  many  ringlets  ;  the  child 
naked,  near  the  left  breast,  and  the  raotlier's  eyes  bent  on  it  with  a 
strong  expression  of  affection  and  endearment. 

There  are  those  who'think  it  a  representation  of  the  mother  of  our 
Lord's  humanity,  with  the  child  Je5;us,  iti  her  arms.  The  Roman 
Catholics  have  availed  themselves  of  this  image,  and  made  it  a  tes- 
timony of  the  antiquity  of  their  religion,  and  of  the  extensive  range 
of  their  worsliip,  by  attempting  to  prove  thereby  that  the  idol  was 
nothing  less  tmin  a  Madona  and  Child — the  Virgin  INIary,  and  the 
child  Jesus ;  and  that  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  was  the  first 
which  arose  in  the  earliest  Christian  age  in  the  east,  and  the  last 
which  set  in  the  west,  where  it  became  extinct,  by  means  of  a 
second  deluge. 

The  idea,  however,  of  a  secoiijj  deluge,  is  inadmissible,  as  it  would 
have  destroyed  every  vestige  of  the  mounds,  pyramids,  tuii  uli,  and 
fortifications,  of  which  this  work  treats  ;  many  of  which  are  sup- 
posed older  than  the  Christian  era  ;  and  the  mound  in  which  the 
image  itself  was  discovered  would  also  have  been  destroyed. 

There  are,  however,  other  opinions,  which  is  not  impossible  may 


..:M. 


AND   DISCOVF.RIFS   IN   THK  WIST. 


131 


have  furuished  the  iinagination  with  materials  fur  the  u.igin  of  such 
a  representation.  Tlie  first  is,  the  caplivatiiif;  Ni^ht  of  a  young  mo- 
ther bending  over  iier  first  bora  «.  nild,  while  she  presses  it  naked  to 
her  bosom,  as  the  ancient  custom  in  hot  countries  may  have  been. 
The  second,  but  is  altogether  more  extraordinary  ;  the  image  may 
be  of  Greek  origin,  and  taken  from  Isaiah  the  Prophet,  7th  eh.  14th 
verse,  where  it  is  .aid,  "  Behold  a  virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a 
Son."  This  prophecy  of  Isaiah  was  known  to  the  Greeks,  for  the 
Old  Testament  was  translated  into  their  language  In  the  time  of 
Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  king  of  Egypt,  nearly  three  hundred  years 
before  the  Christian  era.  See  Adam  Clark's  General  Preface  to 
the  Old  Testament,  page  27,  and  is  known  as  the  Soptuagint  ver- 
sion- 

The  Greek  statuaries  may,  in  this  way,  have  easily  found  the 
beautiful  and  captivating  idea  of  a  vlnjin  mother,  by  reading  Isaiah 
in  the  Greek  ;  a  work  fraught  with  all  the  j^randeur  of  images  in- 
spired by  God  himself,  and  could  not  fail  to  challenge  the  reading 
of  every  learned  man  of  the  empire,  and  such  were  the  statuaries, 
among  the  Greeks,  the  fame  of  whose  exquisite  skill  in  this  re- 
spect, will  go  down  on  the  historic  page  to  the  latest  time. 

From  the  Greeks  such  an  image,  celebrating  the  idea  of  a  virgin 
mother  and  her  child,  may  have  easily  come  into  the  possession  of 
the  Romans,  as  the  Greeks  were,  soon  after  the  translation  of  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures  into  the  Greeks,  subdued  by  the  Romans  ; 
who,  in  their  conquests,  here  and  there,  over  the  earth,  including 
Europe,  England,  Scotland,  and  the  northern  islands,  carrying  that 
kind  of  image  with  them  as  a  god,  or  talisman,  and  from  thence  to 
America. 

It  is,  however,  not  impossible,  but  it  may  be  indeed  of  true  Ro- 
man Catholic  origin  ;  as  at  tlie  time  the  Romai.'s  evacuated  Europe 
with  its  isles,  Ireland,  England,  &c.,  about"  the  year  450,  this  church 
had  risen  to  great  importance  in  the  Roman  empire,  which  aided 
her  to  establish  her  altars  in  every  country  they  had  conquer. -. 


132 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


'i 


Consequently  long  before  the  Scandinavians  colonized  Iceland, 
Greenland  and  Labrador,  on  the  American  continent,  the  Christian 
religion  was  planted  in  ll;e  north  of  Europe  ;  first  in  France,  in  the 
year  4G6,  and  then  soon  afttr  in  England  ;  and  m  on  farther  north, 
among  the  ancient  Scandinavians,  Norwegians,  £:c.,  and  by  these 
to  Iceland  and  Greenland  ;  who  may  have  also  brought  this  trait 
of  that  church  to  America. 

The  fort  at  Cincinnati  is  a  circle,  embracing  about  three  acres, 
with  a  wall  seven  feet  high,  and  twenty  feet  broad.  At  the  back 
part  of  the  upper  level,  at  a  distance  from  the  circular  fort,  are  two 
mounds  of  about  twenty  feet  high.  One  of  these,  by  cutting  a 
trench  from  east  lo  west,  four  feet  wide,  and  at  the  depth  of  ten 
feet,  came  to  some  heavy  stones,  under  which  was  a  body  of  com- 
position resembling  plaster  of  Paris.  Thi.i  broke  with  great  difli- 
culty,  when  there  were  exposed  a  few  fragments  of  an  adult  human 
skeleton,  placed  on  a  bed  of  a  similar  nature  with  the  covering. 

And  being  determined  to  ascertain  whether  the  monument  was 
erected  in  memory  of  one  person  or  more,  the  lower  bed  of  hard 
substance  was  also  broken  throrgh,  ai:d  underneath  a  stratum  of 
stones,  gravel  and  earth,  found  the  fragments  of  another  skeleton, 
consisting  of  one  tibia,  or  piece  of  the  shin,  two»pieces  of  the  thigh 
bone,  and  the  right  upper,  with  the  left  under  jaw. 

This  was  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  from  which  was  derived  the 
important  fact,  that  this  mound  was  not  erected  for  one  individual 
only,  but  also  for  the  infant  chief  or  king  ;  and  that  the  nation  who 
erected  this  r.ound,  in  which  the  child  was  buried,  was  governed 
by  a  line  of  hereditary  chiefs  or  kings,  a«  is  evident  from  the  nature 
and  distinction  of  ''■•e  interment  of  an  infant  ;  who  certainly  could 
not  have  been  an  elected  chief  ;  the  suffrages  of  a  nation  could  ne- 
ver be  supposed  to  elevate  an  infant  as  its  king  ;  but  if  it  succeed- 
ed by  right  of  lineal  descent,  it  might  have  been  their  king, 

The  next  reHc  of  antiquity,  discovered  at  Cincinnati,  is  a  sphe- 
rical stone,  found  on  the  fall  of  a  large  portion  of  the  bank  of  the 


( 1^ 


AND    DISCOVEWES    1?T    THE  WEST- 


133 


river.  It  is  a  greeti  stone,  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  divided  into 
twelve  sides,  each  side  into  twelve  equal  parts,  and  each  part  dis- 
tinguished by  hicrogiyphical  engravings.  This  beautiful  stone,  it 
is  said,  is  lotlged  in  the  Cabinet  of  Arts,  at  Pliiiadelpiiia.  it  is  sup- 
posed the  atone  was  formed  for  astronomical  calculation,  conveying 
a  knowledge  of  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 

A  stone  was  found  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Mexico, 
buried  some  feet  beneath  the  soil,  of  the  same  character  on  which 
was  engraven  an  almost  infinite  number  of  hieroglyphics,  signify- 
ing the  divisions  of  time,  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  the 
twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  with  references  to  the  feasts  and  sacri- 
fices of  the  Mexicans,  and  is  called  by  Humboldt,  the  Mexican  Ca- 
lendar, in  relief  on  basalt. 

This  deservedly  celebrated  historiographer  and  antiquarian,  has 
devoted  an  hundred  pages  and  more  of  his  octavo  work,  entitled 
"  Researches  in  America,"  in  describing  the  sifhilarity  which  exists 
between  its  representations  of  astrology,  astronomy,  and  the  divi- 
sions of  time,  and  those  of  a  great  multitude  of  the  nations  of  Asia ; 
Chinese,  Japanese,  Calmucks,  Moghols,  Mantchaus,  and  other  Tar- 
tar nations ;  the  Egyptians,  Babylonians,  Persians,  Phoenicians, 
Greeks,  Romans,  Hebrews,  and  ancient  Celtic  nations  of  Europe. 
See  the  American  edition,  by  Helen  Maria  Williams,  1st  Volume. 

The  size  of  this  stone  was  very  great,  being  a  fraction  over  twelve 
feet  square,  three  feet  in  thickness,  weighing  twenty  four  tons.  It 
is  of  the  kind  of  stone  denominated  trappean  porphyry,  of  the 
blackish  grey  colour. 

The  place  where  it  was  fjund  was  more  than  thirty  miles  from 
any  quarry  of  the  kind  ;  from  which  we  discover  the  ability  of  the 
ancient  inhabitants,  not  only  to  transport  stones  of  great  size,  as 
well  as  the  ancient  Egyptians,  in  building  their  cities  and  temples 
of  marble,  but  also  to  cut  and  engrave  on  stone,  equal  with  the  pre- 
sent age. 


i  'f'l 


•3 


I 


134 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


I    . 


It  was  discovered  in  the  vale  of  Mexico,  forty-two  years  ago,  in 
the  spot  where  Cortez  ordered  it  to  be  buried,  when,  with  his  fero- 
cious Spaniards,  that  country  was  devastated.  That  Spaniard  uni- 
versally broke  to  pieces  all  idols  of  stone,  which  came  in  his  way, 
except  such  as  Avere  too  large  and  strong  to  be  quickly  and  easily 
thus  effected.  Such  he  buried,  among  which  this  sculptured  stone 
was  one.  This  was  done  to  liide  them  from  the  sight  of  the  na- 
tives, whose  strong  attachment,  whenever  they  saw  them,  counter- 
acted their  conversion  to  the  Roman  Catholic  religion. 

The  sculptured  work  on  this  stone,  is  in  circles ;  the  outer  one 
of  all,  is  a  trifle  over  27  feet  in  circumference ;  from  which  the 
reader  can  have  a  tolerable  notion  of  its  size  and  appearance.  The 
whole  stone  is  intensely  crowded  with  an  infinity  of  representations 
and  hieroglyphics  ;  arranged  however,  in  order  and  harmony,  every 
way  equal  with  any  astronomical  calendar  of  the  present  day.  It  is 
further  described  by  Baron  Humboldt,  v:l\o  sav/  and  examined  it 
on  the  spot. 

"  The  concentric  circles,  the  numerous  divisions  and  subdivisions, 
engraven  in  this  stone,  are  traced  with  mathematical  precision  ;  the 
more  minutely  the  detail  of  this  sculpture  is  examined,  the  greater 
the  taste  we  find  in  the  repetition  of  the  same  forms.  In  the  cen- 
tre of  the  stone  is  sculptured  the  celebrated  sign  uihui-olin-Tona- 
tiuh,  the  Sun  ;  which  is  surrounded  by  eight  triangular  radii.  The 
god  Tonatiuh  or  the  Sun,  is  figured  on  this  stone,  opening  his  large 
mouth,  armed  with  teeth,  with  the  tongue  protruded  to  a  great  length. 
This  yawning  mouth,  and  protruded  tongue,  is  like  the  image  of 
Ka^a,  or  in  another  word.  Time,  a  divinity  of  Hindostan.  Its  dread- 
ful mouth,  armed  with  teeth,  is  meant  to  show,  that  the  god,  Tona- 
tiuh, or  Time,  swallows  the  world,  opening  a  fiery  mouth,  devouring 
the  years,  months,  and  days,  as  fast  as  they  come  into  being.  The 
same  image  we  find  under  the  name  of  Moloch,  among  the  Phoeni- 
cians," the  ancient  inhabitants  of  a  part  of  Africa,  on  thd  southern 
side  of  the  Mediterranean ;  from  which  very  country,  there  can  be 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST- 


135 


but  little  doubt,  America  received  a  portion  of  its  earliest  inhabit- 
ants ;  hence,  a  knowledge  of  the  arts  to  great  perfection,  as  found 
among  the  Mexicans,  was  thus  derived-  Humboldt  says,  the  Mexi- 
cans have  evidently  followed  the  Persians,  in  the  division  of  time, 
as  represented  on  this  stone.  The  Persians  flourished  1500  years 
before  Christ. 

"  The  structure  of  the  Mexican  aqueducts,  leads  tin  imagination 
at  once,  to  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean." — '''hoiuas^  Travels, 
page  293.  The  size,  grandeur,  and  riches,  of  the  tumuli  on  the 
European  and  Asiatic  sides  of  the  Cimmerian  Strait,"  (which  unites 
the  Black  Sea  witii  the  Archipelago,  a  part  of  the  Mediterranean, 
the  region  of  ancient  Greece,  where  the  capital  of  Turkey  in  Eu- 
rope now  stands,  called  Constantinople,)  "  excite  astonishing  ideas 
of  the  wealth  and  power  of  the  people  by  Avhom  they  were  con- 
structed ;  and  in  view  of  labour  so  prodigious,  as  well  as  expendi- 
ture so  enormous,  for  the  the  mere  purpose  of  inhuming  a  single 
body,  customs  and  superstitions  which  illustrate  the  origin  of  the 
pyramids  of  Egypt,  the  cavern  of  Elephanta,  and  the  first  temples 
of  the  ancient  world" — Thomas''  Travels. 

But  whatever  power,  wealth,  genius,  magnitude  of  tumuli, 
mounds,  and  pyramids,  are  found  about  the  Mediterranean ;  where 
the  Egyptian,  the  Plioenician,  Persian,  and  the  Greek,  have  dis- 
played the  monuments  of  this  most  ancient  sort  of  antiquities :  all, 
all  is  realised  in  North  and  South  America ;  and  doubtless  under 
the  influence  of  the  same  superstition,  and  eras  of  time  ;  having 
crossed  over,  as  before  argued ;  and  among  the  various  aboriginal 
nations  of  South  and  North  America,  but  especially  the  former,  are 
undoubtedly  found  the  descendants  of  the  fierce  Medes  and  Per- 
sians, and  other  warlike  nations  of  the  old  world. 

The  discoveries  of  travellers  in  that  country,  show,  even  at  the 
present  time,  that  the  ancient  customs,  in  relation  to  securing  their 
habitation?  with  a  wall,  still  prevails.  Towns  in  the  interior  of 
Africa,  on  the  river  Niger,  of  great  extent,  are  found  to  be  sur- 


136 


AMERICA!^   ANTIQUITIES 


n  ? 


rounded  by  walls  of  earth,  in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  the  Tvest, 
in  North  America. 

See  the  account  as  given  by  Richard  Lardncr:  "Oh  the  4th  of 
May  we  entered  a  town  of  prodigious  extent,  fortified  with  three 
walls,  of  little  less  than  twenty  miles  in  circi.it,  with  ditches,  or 
moats  between.  This  town,  is  called  Boo-hoo,  and  is  in  latitude  of 
about  8  degrees  43  minutes  north,  and  longitude  5  degrees  10  min- 
utes, east.  On  the  17th  v/e  came  to  Roossa,  which  is  a  cluster  of 
huts  walled  with  earth." 

This  traveller  states  that  there  is  a  kingdom  there  called  Vaorie, 
which  is  large,  powerful,  and  flourishing ;  a  city  which  is  of  pro- 
digious extent ;  the  wall  surrounding  it  is  of  clay  or  earth,  and  very 
high,  its  circuit,  between  twenty  and  thirty  miles.  lie  mentions 
several  other  places,  enclosed  by  earth  walls  in  the  same  manlier. 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  the  resemblance  between  these  walled  towns 
in  central  Africa,  and  the  remains  of  similar  works  in  this  country, 
America. 

On  the  Ohio,  twenty-two  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash, 
is  a  cavern,  in  which  are  found  a  vast  variety  of  hieroglyphics,  and 
representations,  of  such  exquisite  delineations,  as  would  induce  the 
belief,  that  their  authors,  were  indeed,  comparatively,  of  a  civilized 
and  refined  origin.  It  is  a  cava,  in  a  rock,  which  presents  itself  to 
view;  a  little  above  the  water,  when  m  flood,  and  close  to  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  is  darkened  by  the  shade  of  some  catalpa  trees, 
standing  before  the  entrance. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  Ohio,  this  cave  became  possessed  by 
a  party  of  Kentuckians,  called  "  Wilson's  gang."  Wilson,  in  the 
first  instance,  brought  his  family  to  the  cave,  fitted  it  up  as  a  spa- 
cious dwelling,  and  erected  a  sign  post  on  the  water  side,  on  which 
were  these  words  :  "  Wilson's  liquor  vault,  and  house  of  enter- 
tainment." 

The  novelty  of  such  a  tavern,  induced  almost  all  the  boats  de- 
scending the  river  to  call  and  stop  for  refreshment,  and  amuse- 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


137 


meiit.  Attracted  by  these  circumstances,  several  idle  characters 
took  up  their  abode  at  the  cave,  after  which  it  continually  resound- 
ed with  the  shouts  of  the  licentious,  the  clamour  of  riot,  and  the 
blasphemy  of  gamblers. 

Out  of  such  customers,  "Wilson  found  no  difficulty  in  forming  a 
band  of  robbers,  with  whom  he  formed  the  plan  of  murdering  the 
crews  of  every  boat  that  stopped  at  his  tavern,  and  send  the  boats, 
manned  by  some  of  his  party,  to  New-Orleans,  and  there  sell  their 
loading  for  cash,  which  was  to  be  conveyed  to  the  cave  by  land, 
through  the  states  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky ;  the  party  returning 
with  it  being  instructed  to  murder,  on  all  good  occasions,  on  the  road. 

After  a  lapse  of  time,  the  merchants  of  the  upper  country  began 
to  be  alarmed,  on  finding  their  property  make  no  returns,  and  their 
people  never  coming  back.  Several  families,  and  respectable  men, 
who  had  gone  down  the  river,  were  never  heard  of;  and  the  losses 
became  so  frequent,  that  it  raised,  at  length,  a  cry  of  individual  dis- 
tress, and  general  dismay.  This  naturally  led  to  inquiry,  and  large 
rewards  were  offered  for  the  discovery  of  the  perpetrators  of  such 
unparalleled  crimes. 

It  soon  came  out  that  Wilson,  with  an  organised  party  of  forty- 
five  men,  was  the  cause  of  such  waste  of  blood  and  treasure ;  that 
he  had  a  station  at  Hurricane  island,  to  arrest  every  boat  that  passed 
by  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  and  that  he  had  agents  at  Natchez  and 
New-Orleans,  of  presumed  respsctsbility,  who  converted  his  a** 
signments  into  cash,  though  they  knew  the  goods  to  be  stolM,  or 
obtained  by  commission  of  murder.  '■«•■ 

The  publicity  of  Wilson's  transactions  soon  broke  up  his  party ; 
some  dispersed,  others  were  taken  prisoners,  and  he  himself  was 
killed  by  one  of  his  associates,  who  was  tempted,  by  the  rewarcl 
offered  for  the  head  of  the  captain  of  the  gang. 

This  cavern  measures  about  twelve  rods  in  length,  and  five  in 

width ;  its  entrance  presents  a  width  of  60  feet  at  its  base,  and  25 

feet  high.    The  interior  walls  are  smooth  rock.    The  floor  is  very 

18 


*::  ;L  ■ 


138 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


B»M1 


U'' 


remarkable,  being  level  through  the  whole  length  of  its  centre,  the 
sides  rising  in  stoney  grades,  in  the  manner  of  seats  in  the  pit  of  a 
theatre. 

On  a  diligent  scrutiny  of  the  walls,  it  is  plainly  discerned,  that 
the  ancient  inhabitants  at  a  very  remote  period,  had  made  use  of 
the  cave  as  a  house  of  deliberation  and  council.  The  walls  bear 
many  hyeroglyphics,  well  executed  ;  and  some  of  them  represent 
animals,  which  have  r.:»  resemblance  to  any  now  known  to  natural 
history^ 

This  cavern  is  a  great  natura  curiosity,  as  it  is  connected  with 
another  still  more  gloomy,  which  is  situated  exactly  above,  united 
by  an  aperture  of  about  fourteen  feet ;  which  to  ascend  is  like  pas- 
sing up  a  chimney  ;  while  the  mountain  is  yet  far  above.  Not  long 
after  the  t'ispersion  and  arrest  of  the  robbers,  who  had  infested  it, 
in  the  upper  vault  were  foirnd,  the  skeletons  of  about  sixty  persons, 
who  had  been  murdered  by  the  gang  of  Wilson,  as  was  supposed- 
But  the  tokens  of  antiquity  arc  still  more  curiois  and  important, 
than  a  description  of  the  mere  cave,  which  are  found  engraved  on 
its  sides,  within,  an  account  of  which  we  proceed  to  give. 

1st.  *rhe  sun  in  diflerent  stages  of  rise  and  declension  ;  the  moon 
under  variou!|  phases  ;  a  snake,  biting  its  tail,  represents  an  orb,  or 
circle ;  a  viper ;  a  vulture ;  buzzards  tearing  out  the  heart  of  a 
prostrate  man  ;  a  panther,  held  by  the  ears,  by  a  child  ;  a  crocodile ;' 
several  trees  and  shrubs;  a  fox;  a  curious  kind  of  hydra  serpent; 
two  doves ;  several  bears ;  two  scorpions ;  an  eagle  ;  an  owl ;  some 
quails;  eiyht  representations  of  animals  which  are  now  unknown. 
Three  out  of  the  eight  are  like  the  elephant  in  all  respects,  except 
the  tusk  and  the  tail.  Two  more  resemble  the  tiger,  one  a  wild 
boar,  another  a  sloth ;  and  the  last  appears  a  creature  of  fancy,  be- 
ing a  quadrumane,  instead  of  a  quadruped,  the  claws  being  alike 
before  and  behind,  and  in  the  act  of  conveying  something  to  the 
mouth  which  lay  in  the  CCntre  of  the  monster.  Besides  these  were 
several  fine  representations  of  men  and  women,  vot  nakedy  but  clo- 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN    THE   WEST. 


189 


thed,  not  as  the  Indians,  but  much  iu  the  costume  of  Cireece  and 
Rome. 

We  must  at  once  perceive,  that  these  objects,  with  an  exception 
or  two,  were  employed  by  the  ancient  Greeks,  to  display  the  na- 
ture of  the  world,  the  omnipotence  of  God,  the  attributes  of  man, 
and  the  utility  of  rendering  his  know!^''ge  systematic  and  immortal. 
All  human  sciences  flourished  among  the  Egyptians  long  before 
they  were  common  to  any  other  people  ;  the  Grecians,  in  the  daya 
of  Solon,  about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  Pythagoras,  about 
the  same  time,  Herodotus,  between  four  and  Ave  hundred  years 
before  Christ,  and  Plato,  a  little  later ;  acquired  in  Egypt,  all  that 
knowledge  of  nature,  which  rendered  them  so  eminent  and  remark- 
able.    But  the  Egyptian  priests  did  not  divulge  their  doctrines,  but 
by  the  aid  of  signs,  amd  figurative  emblems.     Their  manner  was 
to  discover  to  their  auditors,  the  mysteries  of  God  and  nature,  in 
hieroglyphics;   which  \vere   certain  visible   shapes   and  forms  of 
creatures,  whose  inclinations  and  dispositions,  led  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  truths  intended  for  instruction.      All  their  divinity,  philoso-' 
phy,  and  their  greatest  secrets,  were  comprehended  in  these  ingen- 
ious characters,  for  fear  they  should  be  profaned  by  a  familiar  ac- 
quaintance with  the  commonalty. 

It  requires  but  a  rapid  and  cursory  view  of  the  hieroglyphics 
above  enumerated,  to  convince  us  of  design ;  and  also  that  the 
cavern  wherein  they  are  found  engraved,  was  originally  a  place  of 
worship,  or  of  council. 

The  sun,  the  most  frlorious  of  all  visible  beings,  represented 
their  chief  god,  and  receiyed  their  adoration,  for  causing  all  the  ve- 
getation of  the  earth  to  bring  forth  its  increase. 

2d.  The  moon  denoted  the  next  most  beautiful  object  in  the  cre- 
ation, and  was  worshipped  for  her  own  peculiar  usefulness ;  and 
more  particularly,  for  supplying  the  place  of  the  departed  sun. 

3d.  The  snake,  in  the  form  of  an  orb,  or  circle,  biting  its  tail,  point- 
ed out  the  continual  mutation  of  creatures,  and  the  change  of  mat- 


140 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


ter,  or  the  perpetual  morion  of  the  world  itself.  If  so,  this  construc- 
tion of  that  hieroglyphic,  the  snake,  agrees  with  the  Greek  figure, 
of  the  same  kind ;  which  implies  that  the  world  feeds  upon  itself, 
and  receives  from  itself  in  return,  a  continuol  supply  for  renovation 
and  nourishment ;  the  same  symbol  designated  the  year,  which  re- 
volves round,  and  ends  where  it  first  began,  like  the  serpent  with 
its  tail  in  its  mouth  ;  it  is  believed  the  ancient  Greeks  gave  it  this 
meaning. 

4th.  The  viper,  the  most  venemous  cf  all  creatures,  was  the  em- 
blem of  the  devil,  or  wicked  angel ;  for,  as  its  poison  is  quick  and 
powerful,  so  is  the  destroying  spirit,  in  bringing  on  mankind  evils, 
which  can  only  be  opposed  by  the  grace  and  power  of  God. 

5th.  The  vulture,  tearing  out  the  bowels  of  a  prostrate  man, 
seems  a  moral  intending  to  reprove  fierctmess  and  cruelty.  Dr.  Rush 
says  this  hieroglyphic  represents  intemperance,  and  by  them  was  so 
understood. 

6th.  The  panther,  held  by  the  cars  by  a  child,  was  meant  to  im- 
press a  sense  of  the  dominion  of  innocence  and  virtue  over  oppres- 
sion and  vice :  or,  perhaps  it  bore  the  Greek  meaning,  cf  a  wretch 
encompassed  with  difficulties,  which  he  vainly  attempts  to  avoid. 

7th.  The  crocodile,  from  its  power  and  might,  was  another  sym- 
bol of  the  Great  Spirit ;  or  its  being  the  only  creature  without  a 
tongue,  might  have  given  it  a  title  to  the  same  honour,  all  heathen 
nations  concur  in  representing  their  gods,  beholding  and  doing  all 
things,  in  heaven  and  earth,  in  profound  silence. 

8th.  The  several  trees  and  shrubs  were  undoubtedly  emblemat- 
ical of  particular  virtues,  as  representedjin  this  temple  the  cave, 
from  a  veneration  for  their  aromatic  and  healirg  properties.  Among 
the  ancients,  we  know,  that  the  palm  tree  and  the  laurel  were  em- 
blems of  victory  and  deserved  honour ;  the  myrtle,  of  pleasure  ; 
the  cedar,  of  eternity  ;  the  oak,  of  strength  ;  the  olive  tree,  of 
fruitfulness  ;  the  vine,  of  delight  and  joy  ;  and  the  lily,  of  beauty. 
But  y/hvA  those  in  the  cave  imply,  it  is  not  possible  to  determine, 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    U'KST. 


141 


as  nothing  of  Aeir  character  can  be  deduced  from  the  manner  they 
were  sketched  on  the  surface  of  a  rough  wall,  »viiere  the  design  is 
obscured  by  smoke,  or  nearly  obliterated  from  the  effect  of  damp, 
and  the  gradual  decay  of  time. 

9th.  The  fox,  from  every  authority,  was  put  to  denote  subtility 
and  craftiness. 

10th.  The  hydra  serpent  probably  signified  malice  and  envy, 
passions  which  tUe  hieroglyphic  taught  mankind  to  avoid. 

11th.  The  two  doves  were  hieroglyphics  of  constancy  in  love  ; 
all  nations  agree  in  this,  in  admiring  the  attachment  of  doves. 

12th.  The  bears,  it  is  apprehendL'd,  signify  industry,  labour  and 
patience  ;  for  the  Indians  believe  the  cubs  of  the  bear  come  into 
the  world  with  misshapen  parts,  and  that  their  eyes,  ears  and  other 
members  are  licked  into  form  by  the  mother,  who  passes  days  in 
that  anxious  and  unceasing  employ. 

13th.  The  scorpions  were  calculated  to  inspire  a  detestation  for 
malignity  and  vice  ;  even  the  present  race  of  Indians  hold  these 
animals  in  great  disgust,  healing  wounds  inflicted  by  them  with  a 
preparation  of  their  own  blood. 

14th.  The  eagle  represents,  and  is  held  to  this  day,  as  the  em- 
blem of  a  great,  noble,  and  liberal  mind  ;  fierce  in  war,  conquering 
the  enemy,  and  protecting  his  friends  ;  he,  among  the  Indians,  who 
can  do  this,  is  compared  with  the  eagle. 

15th.  The  owl  must  have  been  set  up  to  deter  men  from  deceit 
and  hypocrisy.  He  cannot  endure  the  light  of  the  sun,  nor  can  hy- 
pocrisy bear  that  of  truth  and  sincerity.  He  may  have  been  the 
emblem  of  death  and  wretchedness,  as  among  the  Egyptians  ;  or 
of  victory  and  prosperity,  when  in  a  flying  attitude,  as  among  the 
Greeks. 

16th.  The  quails  afford  no  clue  to  their  hieroglyphic,  unless  they 
signify  the  corn  season,  and  point  out  the  time  for  the  usage  of 
some  particular  rites  and  ceremonies  of  a  religious  nature.  With 
the  Greeks,  they  were  emblematical  of  impiety,  from  a  belief  that 


v" 


t}'sf 


143  AMCRtCAN    ANTIQUfTIE.^ 

they  enrage  and  torment  themselves  when  the  crescent  of  the  new 
moon  appears. 

ItJth.  The  representations  of  the  larger  animals,  were  doubtless, 
indicative  of  the  power  and  attributes  of  the  Great  Spirit  :  The 
mammoth  showinp;  his  greatness  ;  the  tyger,  his  strength;  the  boar, 
his  wrath  ;  the  sloth,  \\\?,  patience  ;  and  the  nondescript,  his  hidden 
virtues,  which  are  past  finding  out. 

18th.  The  human  figures  are  more  definite,  and  afibrd  inferences 
more  certain,  on  account  of  the  dress  they  are  represented  in  ; 
which  resembles  the  Roman  ;  the  figures  would  be  taken  for  Eu- 
ropen  antiquities,  were  it  not  for  the  character  and  manner  of  the 
heads. 

The  dress  of  these  figures,  consisting  of,  1st.  A  carbasus,  or  rich 
cloak  ;  2d,  a  sabucala,  or  waistcoat  or  shirt  ;  3d,  a  supparum,  or 
breeches  open  at  the  knees  ;  4th,  solea,  or  sandals,  tied  acrdss  the 
toes  and  heels  ;  5th,  the  head,  embraced  by  a  bandean,  crowned 
with  feathers. 

19th.  The  dress  of  the  females,  carved  in  this  cave,  have  a  Gre- 
cian cast,  the  hair  encircled  by  the  crown,  and  was  confined  by  a 
bodkin  ;  the  remaining  part  of  this  costume  was  Roman  :  1st.  The 
garments  called  stolla,  or  perhaps  the  toga  pura,  flounced  from  the 
shoulders  to  the  ground  :  2d,  an  indusium  appeared  underneath  : 
3d,  the  indusium  was  confined  under  the  breast,  by  a  zone  or  ces- 
tus  :  and,  4th,  sandals,  in  the  manner  of  those  of  the  men." 

Could  all  this  have  been  produced  by  the  mere  caprice  of  abori- 
ginal artizans — we  think  not  ;  they  have,  in  this  instance,  either  re- 
corded their  own  manners,  in  the  one  particular  of  costume,  or  they 
have  represented  that  of  others,  who  had  come  among  them  as 
strangers,  and  wonderfully  induces  the  belief,  that  such  were  Greeks, 
Romans,  or  some  nation  of  the  earth,  whose  mode  of  dress  was 
similar. 

Viewed  in  the  most  critical  manner,  this  instance  of  American 
antiquity  cannot  fail  to  excite  in  the  mind  surprise,  when  we  con- 


AND  DISCOVERIES    lit   TIIK    WEST. 


143 


trast  this  with  the  commonly  received  opinion,  that  Columbus  \va« 
the  first  discover  of  this  country. 

The  hieroglyphic  carved  in  this  ciive,  \vliich  represents  a  child 
holding  or  leading  a  panther,  brings  forcibly  to  the  mind  a  similar 
idea  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  in  the  Book  of  Isaiah,  chapter  14, 
6th  verse,  where  it  is  said  the  wolf,  the  leopard,  and  the  young  lion 
shall  be  led  by  a  child  ;  and  relates  to  tlie  period  when  both  natu- 
ral and  moral  evil  shall  have  no  existence  in  the  eartli,  as  is 
believed  by  some. 

In  ihis  cave,  it  appears,  there  are  sketched  on  the  rock  the  figures 
of  several  animals,  now  extinct  ;  among  which  are  three,  much  re- 
sembling the  elephant,  the  tail  and  tusks  excepted.  It  would  be 
passing  the  bounds  of  credulity  to  sujjpose  the  artists  who  delineat- 
ed those  figures,  would  represent  no  less  than  eight  animals,  difler- 
ing  in  their  configuration,  one  from  the  other,  which  had  in  reality 
no  being. 

We  suppose  the  animals  resembling  the  elephant,  to  have  been 
the  mammoth,  and  that  those  ancients  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  creature,  or  they  could  never  have  engraved  it  on  the  rock. 
Job,  of  the  Scriptures,  who  was  a  native  of  the  land  of  Uz,  in  Idu- 
mea,  which  is  situated  southwest  of  the  lake  Asphaltidese,  or  sea 
of  Sodom,  was  also  well  acquainted  with  this  animal.  Sec  Job, 
chapter  40  :  "  Behold  now  Behemoth,  which  I  made  with  thee  ; 
he  eateth  grass  as  an  ox.  Lo,  now  his  strength  is  in  his  loins  ;  and 
his  force  in  the  navel  of  his  belly.  He  moveth  his  tail  like  a  cedar ; 
the  sinews  of  his  loins  are  wrapped  together.  His  bones  are  as 
strong  pieces  of  brass  ;  his  bones  are  like  bars  of  iron.  He  is  the 
chief  of  the  ways  of  God." 

Whoever  has  examined  the  skeleton  of  one  of  those  animals,  now 
in  the  Philadelpha  museum,  will  acknowledge  the  bones  are  equal 
to  bars  of  brass  or  iron. 

Its  height  over  the  shoulders,  is  eleven  feet  ;  from  the  point  of 
the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  following  the  exterior  or  curve,  is 


mm 


^    IT 

'.dh 


Hi 


«c   . 


144 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


19  twenty-one  fuet  ;  a  single  tooth  weighs  four  pounds,  ten  ounces] 
The  rib  bones  are  six  inches  in  width,  and  in  thickness  three  ;  the 
whole  skeleton  as  it  is,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  bones,  weighs 
one  thousand  pounds. 

But  how  tremendous  must  that  animal  have  been,  to  which  the 
tooth  weighing  twciity-five  pounds,  found  in  the  earth  at  Cincinnati, 
belonged,  more  than  five  times  the  dimensions  of  the  one  described 
above  ;  arguing,  from  proportion,  that  is,  if  a  tooth  belonged  to  a 
skeleton  weighing  one  tliousand  pounds,  was  found  to  be  four 
pounds  ten  ounces  ;  a  tooth  weighing  twenty-five  pounds,  would 
give  a  skeleton  of  more  tliau  five  thousand  pounds.  And  if  the  cal- 
culation be  carried  forward  in  this  sort  of  proportion,  we  shall  pro- 
duce an  animal  more  than  forty  feet  high,  and  nearly  an  hundred 
in  length,  with  a  proportionable  thickness. 

What  would  be  the  sensation,  if  we  were  to  meet  an  animal  of 
this  sort  in  his  ancient  haunts  ;  it  would  appear  almost  a  moving 
mountain  ;  but  add  to  this,  the  enormous  eyes  of  the  animal,  set  at 
a  frightful  distance  from  each  other,  with  an  amplitude  of  forehead 
between,  clothed,  like  the  side  of  a  hill,  with  a  forest  of  shaggy 
hair  ;  a  mouth,  gaping  like  some  drear  cavern,  set  round  with  teeth 
sufficient  to  crush  a  buffalo  at  a  mouthful  ;  its  distended  nostrils 
emiting  vapour  like  the  puffs  of  a  steam  boat,  with  a  sound,  when 
breathing,  that  might  be  heard  afar  ;  the  legs  appearing  in  size 
of  dimensions  sufficient  to  bear  a  ship  on  his  shoulders ;  and  his 
feet  or  paws  spread  out  like  a  farmer's  com  fan,  armed,  with 
claws  like  flukes  to  an  anchor  of  a  vessel  of  war  ;  the  tail,  aa 
it  is  said  in  Job,  waving  to  and  fro,  like  a  cedar  bending  before 
the  wind.  But  add  to  all  this,  anger  ;  let  him  but  put  bis 
fierceness  on  ;  the  eyes  flash  fire,  his  tail  elevated  aloft,  lash;  ng  the 
ground,  here  and  there,  at  a  dreadful  distance  from  his  body  ;  his 
voice  like  the  double  rolling  of  thunder,  jarring  the  wilderness ;  at 
which  every  living  thing  would  tremble,  and  drop  to  the  earth. 
Such  an  animal  would  indeed  be  the  "  Chief  of  the  ways  of  God,'* 


AND  DISCO vi::ku:s  i:s   vm:  wust. 


UB 


d,'» 


it  would  be  perfectly  safe  in  the  niid^t  of  a  tornado,  in  tlie  wilder- 
ness ;  no  tree,  or  a  forest  of  them,  could  possilily  harm  the  monster 
by  falling;  against  it ;  it  would  shake  them  off,  as  mere  troubleuomo 
insects,  as  smaller  animals  do  the  tii'*s,  in  a  summer's  day. 

The  one  in  Poale's  museum,  of  which  we  have  spoken,  a  page 
or  two  back,  is  one  out  of  nine  skeletons  of  this  monster,  which 
were  dug  out  of  the  earth  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Shongum 
mountain,  in  Ulster  county,  on  the  southwestejii  side  of  the  state 
of  New- York,  eight  of  which  were  sent  to  Europe.  Sec  Spafford's 
Gazeetteer  of  New- York. 

Doctor  Adam  Clark  mentions,  in  Iiis  commentary  on  the  subject 
of  this  animal,  denominated  Bf-'hemoth  in  Job,  40th  chapter,  15(h 
verse,  that  he  had  weighed  one  of  the  very  smallest  grinders  of  an 
animal  of  this  supposed  extinct  race,  and  found  it,  in  its  very  dry 
state,  to  weigh  "/««/•  poundi,  eight  ounces,''''  "  the  same  grinder  of 
an  elephant,  says  Dr.  Clark,  I  have  weighed  also,  and  find  it  but 
two  pounds  ;  the  mammoth,  therefore,  says  this  great  author,  from 
this  proportion,  must  have  been  as  large  as  two  elephants  and  a 
que  Iter." 

If,  then,  an  animal  of  this  kind,  having  a  tooth  weighing  only 
four  pounds  and  eight  ounces,  was  more  than  twice  as  large  as  an 
ordinary  elephant,  how  unwieldly  and  monstrous  must  have  been 
the  animal  to  which  the  tooth  just  mentioned,  weighing  tioenty-fioe 
pounds,  once  belonged,  arguing  from  proportion,  as  Dr.  Clark  has 
done. 

The  same  author,  in  his  Biblical  Commentary  on  the  fir  t  Book 

of  Genesis,  says,  that  from   a  considerable  part  of  a  skeleton  which 

he  had  seen  a!id  examined,  it  was  computed  that  the  animal,  when 

living,  must  have  been  nearly  twenty-five  feet  high  and  sixty  feet 

in -length  ;  the  bones  of  one  toe  were  entire,   and  were  something 

more  than  three  feet  long.     This  height  of  the  animal,  as  computed 

by  Dr.  Clark,  will  agree  well  with  the  observations  of  travellers. 

la  the  vicinity  of  ^May's  Lick,  or  Salt  Spring,  in  the  state  of  Ken-    • 

19 


i 


i 


li« 


■<'■  ii^j 


'iii^i 


140 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


VA 


tucky,  there  are  several  holes,  marked  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
proclaim  a!:  once  thst  they  were  formed  by  animals  wallowing 
in  them,  after  they  hod  bathed,  and  satiated  tliemselves  with  the 
waters  of  the  fountain  ;  lliese  were  the  works  of  buft-aloes,  deer,  and 
other  small  animals. 

But  the  same  appearances  era  evident  in  some  bai;>ks  in  the 
neighbourhood,  which  were  hollowed  in  a  semicircular  manner, 
from  the  action  of  beasts  rubbing  cgainst  them,  and  carrying  off 
quantities  of  the  earth  on  their  liides,  forming  a  thick  coat,  to  defend 
against  tlie  stings  of  numberless  (lies,  like  the  rhinoceros  of  Africa. 
One  of  those  scooped  out  hollow  banks,  appeared  like  the  side  of  a 
hill  from  which  an  hundred  thousand  loads  of  soil  might  have  been 
carried  oif ;  the  height  of  the  wasted  bank,  where  it  was  aficcted 
by  attrition,  was  at  least  twenty-five  feet.  The  other  animals,  be- 
ing smaller,  could  get  down  and  up  again  from  their  wallowing, 
with  ease  and  quickness;  but  the  mammoths  were  compelled,  from 
their  size,  to  lean  against  some  hill  or  mountain,  to  coat  their  hide 
with  earth. 

Near  this  spot  are  oucu  found  the  frames  of  this  animal,  sunk  in 
the  mire.  In  the  state  cf  Jiitisouri,  between  "^Vhite  River  and 
Strawberry  River,  are  certain  ranges  of  mountains,  at  whose  base, 
in  a  certain  spot,  are  found  "  large  quantities  of  these  bones  gather- 
ed in  a  small  compass,  which  collection  was  doubtless  occasioned 
by  the  appetite  which  these  animals  had  for  salt.  Attracted  by  the 
water  that  oozes  in  these  marshy  places,  they  were  evidently  mired 
when  they  ventured  too  far  in,  ur.d  of  course  the  struggles  of  the 
last  one  would  sink  the  bones  of  his  predecessor  stilldceper.  Thus 
these  collections  are  easily  accounted  for,  dthougl],at  first,  it  seems 
very  strange  to  see  these  bones  accumulate.!,  like  those  of  some  of 
the  extinct  Indiun  tribes  of  the  west."  I3eck's  Gazetteer  of  Illi- 
nois and  Missouri,  page  332- 

Adam  Clark  supposes  the  }3ehemoth  to  have  been  a  carniverous 
animal.     Sec  his  remarks  on  this  monutcr,  in  his  Commentary  on 


l.f 


AND    DISCOVERIES    l.\    THE    WEST. 


147 


Job,  40th  chapter,  15th  verse  :  "  The  Behemoth  on  the  contrary, 
(i.  e.  in  opposition  to  the  habits  of  the  hippotamus  and  elephant,)  is, 
represented  as  a  quadruped  of  a  ferocious  nature,  and  formed 
for  tyranny,  if  not  rapacity  ;  equally  lord  of  the  floods  and  of  the 
mountains  ;  rusliinp;  with  rapidity  of  foot,  instead  of  slowness  or 
stateliness  ;  and  possessing  a  rigid  and  enormous  tail,  like  a  cedar 
tree,  instead  of  a  short  naked  tail  of  about  a  foot  long,  as  the  hippo- 
potamus, or  a  weak,  slender,  hog  shaped  tail,  as  the  elephant." 

Job  says,  chapter  40th,  verse  17,  that  he,  (this  monster,)  moveth 
his  tail  like  a  cedar,  i.  e.  its  molioin  were  like  those  of  a  tall  cedar 
tree  moved  slowly  one  way  and  the  other  by  the  wind  ;  which  ex- 
plicitly and  empliatically  marks  t'le  m?nstrousnes3  of  this  creature's 
size.  "  He  moveth  his  tail  like  a  cedir,"  slowly  one  way  and  the 
other  ;  exactly  as  tha  lion,  the  tiger,  or  the  leopard,  in  the  motions 
of  this  limb,  e«p3cially  when  angry,  or  when  watching  for  their 
prey  ;  on  which  account,  it  is  probable,  Job  has  seen  fit  to  make 
mention  of  this  pscuUar  motion  of  the  aninal ;  and  also  it  is  an  evi- 
dence of  the  overwhelming  power  or  strength  of  the  mammoth. — 
He  was,  iadaed,  as  it  is  saiJ  in  Job,  "  the  chief  of  the  ways  of  God," 
in  the  creation  of  animals. 

At  St.  Helen's  Point,  north  of  Gmyanuil,  in  the  republic  of  Co- 
lombia, South  America,  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific,  on  the  equator, 
are  found  the  enormous  remains  of  this  animal.  The  Peruvian  tra- 
dition of  those  bones  is,  that  at  this  very  point  once  landed,  from 
some  unknown  qumter,  of  the  earth,  a  colony  of  giants,  who  mutu- 
ally destroyed  each  other.  At  New  Grenada,  in  the  same  province, 
and  on  the  ridg3  of  tlie  Mexican  Cordilleras,  vast  quantities  of  the 
remains  of  this  huge  beast  are  fjund. — Himholdl^s  Rcssarches  in 
South  America. 

"  The  remains  of  a  monster,  recently  discovered  on  the  bank  of 
the  Mississippi,  in  Louisionia,  seventeen  feet  under  ground,  may 
be  considered  as  the  greatest  wonder  of  the  west.  The  largest  bone, 
which  was  thought  to  be  the  shoulder  blade,  or  jawbone,  is  twenty 


u 


k 


f^ 


143 


AMEtllCAIt    ANTTQVrTIES 


I'.. 


feet  long,  three  broad,  aud  weighed  twelve  hundred  pounds.  The 
aperture  iu  the  vertebre,  or  place  for  the  pith  of  the  back  bone,  is 
six  by  nine  inches  caliber  ;  supposed,  when  alive,  to  have  been  an 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  length..  The  awful  and  tremendous 
size  of  what  this  creature  must  have  been,  to  which  this  shoulder 
blade,  or  jaw  bone,  belonged,  when  alive,  is  almost  frightful  to 
think  of." — Christian  Advocate  and  Journal. 

In  President  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia,  we  have  the  follow- 
ing, as  the  tradition  of  the  Indians  respecting  this  animal,  which 
they  call  the  Bixj  Buffalo,  and  assert  that  he  is  carniverous,  as  Dr. 
Clark  contends,  and  still  exists  in  the  northern  parts  of  America. 

"  A  delegation  of  warriors  from  the  Delaware  tribe,  visited  the 
government  of  Virginia,  during  the  Revolution,  on  matters  of  busi- 
ness ;  after  this  had  been  discussed,  and  settled  in  council,  the 
governor  asked  some  questions  relative  to  their  country,  and,  among 
others,  what  they  knew,  or  had  heard  of  the  animal  whose  boneg 
were  found  at  the  salt  licks  on  the  Ohio. 

Their  chief  spoeker  immediately  put  himself  into  an  attitude  of 
oratory,  and  with  a  pomp  suited  to  what  he  conceived  the  elevation 
of  his  subject,  informed  him  that  it  was  a  tradition,  handed  down 
from  their  fathers,  that  in  ancient  <•  nes  a  herd  af  these  tremendous 
animals  came  to  the  Big  Bone  Lick,  and  began  an  universal  de- 
struction of  the  bear,  deer,  elk,  buffaloes,  and  other  animals,  which 
had  been  created  for  the  use  of  the  Indians. 

And  that  the  Great  Man  above,  looking  down,  and  seeing  this, 
was  so  enraged,  that  he  seized  his  liglitning ;  descended  on  the 
earth,  seated  himself  on  a  nelghboiiring  mountain,  on  a  certain  rock, 
where  the  print  of  his  feet  are  sfili  remaining,  from  whence  he 
hurled  hi.';  bolts  among  tliem,  till  the  whole  were  slaughtered ;  ex- 
cept the  big  bull,  who  presenting  his  forehead  to  the  shafts,  shook 
them  off  as  they  fell,  but  at  length,  one  of  them  missing  his  head, 
glanced  on  his  side,  wounding  him  sufficiently  to  make  him  mad  ; 
whereon,  springing  round,  he  bounded  over  the  Ohio,  at  a  leap, 


IND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


1-19 


then  over  the  Wabash  at  another,  the  Illinois  at  a  third,  and  a  fourth 
leap,  over  the  great  lakes,  where  he  is  living  at  this  day." 

"  A  Mr.  Stanley,  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee  river,  relates  that  after  being  transferred  through 
several  tribes,  was  at  length  carried  over  the  mountains  west  of  the 
Missouri,  to  a  river  which  runs  westwardly,  that  these  bones  abound- 
ed there,  and  that  the  nations  described  to  him  the  animal  to  which 
these  belonged,  as  still  living  in  the  northern  parts  of  their  country." 

Mr.  Jefferson  contends,  at  page  77,  of  his  Notes  on  Virginia, 
that  this  animal  is  not  extinct.  "  It  may  be  asked,"  says  this  phi- 
losopher, "  '.' iiy  I  insert  the  mammoth  as  if  it  still  existed.  I  ask 
in  return,  why  I  should  omit  it,  as  if  it  did  not  exist.  The  north- 
ern and  western  parts  still  remain  in  their  aboriginal  state,  unex- 
plored and  undisturl:  hy  us,  or  by  others  for  us.  He  may  as  well 
exist  there  now  as  '.  ;mu  formerly,  where  we  find  his  bones.  If 
he  be  a  carnivorous  animal,  as  some  anatomists  have  conjectured, 
and  the  Indians  affirm,  his  early  retirement  to  deeper  wilds,  may  be 
accounted  for,  from  the  great  destruction  of  the  wild  game,  by  the 
Indians,  which  commenced  in  tlie  very  first  instant  of  their  connex- 
ion with  MS,  for  the  purpose  of  purcliasing  matchcoats,  hatchets, 
and  guns,  with  their  skins." 

The  description  of  this  monster's  habits,  as  given  by  the  Delaware 
chief,  has  a  surprising  agreement  with  the  account  of  the  Behe- 
moth, given  by  Job ;  especially  at  this  verse  :  "  Surely  the  moun- 
tains bring  him  forth  food,  where  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  play." 
"  He  frequents  those  places  (says  Dr.  Clark)  where  he  can  have 
most  prey,  he  makes  a  mock  of  all  the  beasts  of  the  field.  They 
can  neither  resist  his  power,  nor  escape  his  agility."  "  It  appears 
(says  the  above  author)  "  to  have  been  a  many  toed  animal;  the 
springs  which  such  a  creature  could  make,  must  have  been  almost 
incredible  ;  nothing  by  swiftness  could  have  escaped  its  pursuit, 
fiod  seems  to  have  made  it  as  the  proof  of  his  power,  and  had  it 
been  prolific,  and  not  become  extinct,  it  would  have  depopulated 
the  earth. 


150 


AMERICArf    ANTIQUITIES 


TRACKS  OF  MEN  AND  ANIMALS  IN  THE  ROCKS  OF  TENNES- 
SEE, AND  ELSEWHERE. 

Among  the  subjects  of  antiquity,  which  are  abundant  on  the 
American  continent,  we  give  the  following,  from  Morse's  Universal 
Geography,  which  in  point  of  mysteriousiiess  is  not  surpassed,  per- 
haps on  tlie  globe.  In  the  State  of  Tennessee,  on  a  certain  moun- 
tain, called  the  enchanted  mountain,  situated  a  few  miles  south  of 
Braystown,  which  is  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Tennessee  river,  are 
found  impressed  in  the  surface  of  the  solid  rock,  a  great  number  of 
tracks,  as  turkies,  bears,  horses,  and  human  beings,  as  perfect  as 
they  could  be  made  on  snow  or  sand.  The  human  tracks  are  re- 
markable for  having  uniformly  six  toes  each ;  one  only  excepted, 
which  appears  to  be  the  print  of  a  ncjroe's  foot.  One,  among  those 
tracks,  is  distinguished  from  the  rest,  by  its  monstrousness,  being  of 
no  less  dimensions  than  sixteen  inclies  in  length,  across  the  toes 
thirteen  inches,  behind  the  toes,  v.liere  the  foot  narrows  toward  the 
instep,  seven  inches,  and  the  heel  bull  live  inches. 

One  also  among  the  tracks  of  the  animals,  is  distinguished  for  its 
great  size  :  it  is  the  track  of  a  horse,  measuring  eight  by  ten  inches ; 
perhaps  the  horse  whicli  the  great  ^varrior  led  when  passing  this 
mountain  with  his  army.  Tliat  these  are  the  real  tracks  of  the 
animals  they  represent,  appears  iVom  the  circumstance  of  this  horse's 
foot  having  slipped  several  inches,  and  recovered  again  ;  the  figures 
have  all  the  same  direction,  like  the  trail  of  a  company  on  a  journey. 

Not  far  from  this  very  spot,  are  vast  heaps  of  stones,  v.hich  ara 
the  supposed  tombs  of  warriors,  .slain,  perhaps,  ia  the  very  battle 
this  big  footed  warrior  was  engaged  in,  at  a  j>.Tiod  when  these 
mountains,  which  give  rise  to  some  branches  of  the  Tugulo,  Apa- 
lachicola,  and  Hiwassa  rivers,  were  in  a  state  of  soft  and  clayey 
texture.  * 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN    THE  WEST- 


151 


We  are  of  the  opinion  that  these  tracks  found  sunk  in  the  sur- 
face of  the  rocks  of  this  mountain,  is  indubitable  evidence  of  their 
antiquity,  going  back  to  the  time  when  men  dispersed  over  the  earth, 
immediately  after  the  flood. 

At  the  period  when  this  troop  passed  the  summit  of  this  moun- 
tain, the  rock  was  in  a  soft  and  yielding  state  ;  time,  therefore,  suf- 
ficient foi  it  to  harden  to  its  present  rock  consistency,  is  the  argu- 
ment of  the  great  distance  of  time  elapsed  since  they  went  over  it. 

It  is  probable  the  whole  of  these  mountains,  out  of  which  arise 
the  branches  of  the  rivers  above  iflluded  to,  were  at  the  time  when 
the  deluge  subsided,  but  a  vast  body  of  clay,  for  even  now,  the  sur- 
face, where  it  is  not  exposed  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  is  of  a  soft  text- 
ure, capable  of  being  cut  with  a  knife,  and  appears  to  be  of  the  na- 
ture of  the  pipe  stone. 

In  order  that  those  tracks  might  retain  their  shape  against  the 
operation  of  rains,  the  clay  must  have  been  of  a  tough  and  oily  na- 
ture ;  and  hardened  by  slow  degrees,  after  having  been  brought  to 
feel  the  influence  of  the  sun's  rays,  and  the  drying  nature  of  the 
winds.  The  changiiig  and  revolutionising  consequences  of  the 
flood,  it  is  likely,  unbared  these  bodies  of  clay  from  the  depths  of 
the  earth,  by  washing  off  all  the  other  kind;5  of  strata,  not  so  adhe- 
sive as  is  the  nature  of  this  clay ;  out  of  which  these  ranges  of 
mountains  have  been  made,  some  eigliteen  hundred  years  later  than 
the  original  creation. 

In  the  wild  and  savage  country  of  Guiana,  in  South  America, 
are  mountains  of  a  prodigious  height,  on  whose  smooth  and  perpen- 
dicular sides  which  seem  once  to  have  been  a  barrier  to  mighty  wa- 
ters, are  engraved,  at  a  surprising  distance  from  their  base,  the  fig- 
ures of  animals  ;  also  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  w  ith  other  hiero- 
glyphicai  signs. 

The  tradition  respecting  them,  among  the  natives,  is,  that 
that  their  ancestors,  in  a  time  of  great  waters,  came  in  canoes,  to 
the  tops  of  these  mountains,  and  that  the  stones  were  then  so  soft, 


I 

St- 


152 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


« 


and  plastic,  that  men  could  easily  trace  marks  on  them  with  their 
fingers,  or  with  sticks. 

These  rocks,  it  would  appear,  were  then  in  a  state  similar  to  those 
in  Tennessee,  which  also  had  retained  the  impressions  made  on 
them  by  the  feet  of  the  traveller.  But  these  mysterious  traces 
found  on  the  mountain  in  Tennessee,  are  not  the  only  impressions 
of  the  kind.  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  in  his  travels  hi  the  central  parts  of 
the  Mississippi  regions,  informs  us  that  on  the  limestone  strata  of 
rock,  which  forms  the  shores  of  the  Mississippi,  and  along  the 
neighbourhood  of  St.  Louis,  were  found  tracks  of  the  human 
foot,  deeply  and  perfectly  impressed  in  the  solid  stone.  But  two 
traces  of  this  sort  have  been,  as  yet,  discovered ;  these  are  the 
same  represented  on  the  plate,  as  given  by  Schoolcraft. — See  plate- 

"  The  impressions  in  the  stone  are,  to  all  appearance,  those  of  a 
man,  standing  in  an  erect  posture,  with  the  left  foot  a  little  advan- 
ced, and  the  heels  drawn  in.  The  distance  between  the  heels,  by 
accurate  measurement,  is  six  inches  and  a  quarter,  and  between  the 
extremities  of  the  toes,  thirteen  and  a  half.  The  length  of  these 
tracks  is  ten  and  a  quarter  inches,  across  the  toes  four  inches  and  a 
half,  as  spread  out,  aud  but  two  and  a  half  at  the  heel.  Directly 
before  the  prints  of  these  feet,  within  a  few  inches,  is  a  well  im- 
pressed, and  deep  mark,  having  some  resemblance  to  a  scroll,  or 
roll  of  parchment,  two  feet  long,  by  a  foot  in  width. 

To  account  for  these  appearances,  two  theories  arc  advanced ; 
one  is,  that  they  were  sculptured  there  by  the  ancient  nations :  the 
other,  that  they  were  impressed  there  at  a  time  when  the  rock  was 
in  a  plastic  state ;  both  theories  have  their  difficulties,  but  we  in- 
cline to  the  latter,  because  the  impressions  are  strikingly  natural, 
says  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  exhibiting  even  the  muscular  marks  of  the 
foot,  with  groat  precision  and  faithfulness  to  nature,  and  on  this  ac- 
count, weakens,  in  his  opinion,  the  doctrine  of  their  being  sculp- 
tured by  the  ancient  nations. 


.^y'"'^ 


..■^•^ 


^■». 


AND    UIS'JOVEKIES    IN    THE  WEST 


lU 


But  why  there  are  no  others  going  to  and  from  these,  is  unac- 
countable, unless  we  may  suppose  tiie  rest  ot"  this  rock,  at  that  time, 
was  buried  by  earth,  brush,  grass,  or  some  kind  of  covering.  If 
they  were  sculputurcd,  why  not  otlier  specimens  appear,  this  one 
insulated  elibrt  of  the  kind,  would  seem  unnatural. — See  ihe  plaie^ 
which  is  a  tniefac  simile  of  those  tracks. 


was 
e  in- 
:ural, 
the 
s  ac- 
^ulp- 


COTUBAMANA,  THE  GIA>?T  CHIEF. 

On  the  subject  of  tlie  stature  of  the  Patagonians,  we  have  the 
following  remarks  of  Morse,  the  geof^rtiph t.  "  We  cannot,  with- 
out a  charge  of  unreasonable  scepticism,  deny  all  credence  to  the 
accounts  that  have  been  trans:nitte  I  to  us,  of  a  race  of  men  of  ex- 
traordinary stature,  iu  the  country  aboiif  the  Strait  of  Magellan. 

Inscrutable  as  are  tlie  ways  of  Providence,  and  as  limited  as  is 
the  progress  hitherto  made,  in  the  natural  philosophy  of  the  globe 
we  inhabit,  no  bounds  can  be  assigned  to  the  endless  variety  of 
phenomena,  which  successively  appear.  The  man  who  can  assign 
a  reason  why  an  Irish  giant,  or  a  Polish  dwarf,  should  be  bom 
amidst  nations  of  ordinary  stature,  will  have  solved  every  problem, 
as  to  the  existence,  either  of  gigantic  Patagonians,  or  of  pigmy  Es- 
quimaux. 

From  an  impartial  revision  of  the  various  authorities,  it  appears, 
as  an  established  fact,  that  the  usual  stature  of  pne  or  more  Iribes 
of  Indians  in  Patagonia,  is  from  six  and  a  half  to  seven  and  a  half 
feet."  ' 

When  the  Spaniards  conquered  and  destroyed  the  nations  and 
tribes  of  some  of  the  W^est  India  islands,  among  them  was  a  tribe 
whose  chief  was  a  man  of  great  stature.  Cotubamana  was  the 
name  of  this  cacique,  who  resided  with  his  nation  on  the  island  Hi- 

guey,  adjacent  to  Hispaniola. 

h  20 


m 


E' 


I'l. 


ii' 


♦sS 


154 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


I 

} 


I  ? 


It'! 


This  chieftain,  as  related  by  Las  Casns,  the  historian,  was  the 
strongest  of  liis  tribe,  and  more  perfectly  formed  than  one  man  of 
a  thousand,  of  any  nation  whatever.  He  was  taller  than  the  tallest 
of  his  countrymen,  in  width  from  shoulder  to  shoulder  exceeding 
all  men,  measuring  full  three  feet,  with  the  rest  of  his  person  in  admi- 
rable proportion.  His  aspect  was  not  handsome  ;  yet  his  counte- 
nance was  grave,  strongly  marked  with  the  characteristics  of  a  mau 
of  courage. 

His  bow  was  not  easily  bent  by  a  common  man  ;  his  arrow  was 
three  pronged,  pointed  with  the  bones  of  fishes ;  all  his  weapons 
were  large  enough  for  a  giant ;  in  a  word  he  was  so  nobly  propor- 
tioned as  to  be  the  admiration  of  even  the  Spaniards. 

Already  the  murderous  Spaniards  had  been  more  than  conque- 
rors, in  several  battles  which  drove  the  poor  fugitives  to  their  caves, 
and  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountaius,  whither  they  had  followed 
their  chief.  A  daily  pursuit  was  continued,  but  cliiefly  to  capture 
the  as  yet  invincible  Cotubamanc. 

While  searching  in  the  woods  and  hills  of  the  island,  at  a  certain 
time,  and  having  got  on  their  trail,  they  came  at  length  to  a  place 
where  the  path  which  they  had  followed,  suddenly  spread,  and  di- 
vided into  many,  the  whole  company  of  the  Spaniards,  except  one 
man,  chose  a  path,  which  they  pursued. 

This  one  exception,  was  a  man  named  Juan  Lopez,  a  powerful 
Spaniard,  and  skilful  in  the  mode  of  Indian  warfare.  He  chose 
to  proceed  alone,  in  a  blind  foot  path,  leading  off  to  the  left  of  the 
course  the  others' had  taken,  winding  among  little  hills,  so  thickly 
wooded  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  a  man  at  the  distance  of  half 
a  bow  shot. 

But  as  he  was  silently  darting  along  ibL.;  path,  he  encountered  all 
at  once,  in  a  narrow  pass,  overhung  by  rocks  and  trees,  twelve  In- 
dian warriors,  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  following  each  other  in 
Indian  file.  The  poor  natives  were  confounded  at  sight  of  Lopez, 
imagining  there  must  be  a  party  of  soldiers  behind  him,  or  they 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN    THE   WEST.  155 

M'ould  tlovibtless  have  transfixed  him  with  their  arrows.  Lopez  de- 
manded of  them  where  their  chief  was ;  they  replied,  he  is  behind 
us,  and  opening  to  let  him  fass,  he  beheld  the  dauntless  Cotubama- 
na,  in  the  rear.  At  sight  of  the  Spaniard,  the  gallant  cacique  bent 
his  gigantic  bow,  and  was  on  the  point  of  launcliing  one  of  his  three 
headed  arrows  into  his  heart,  but  Lopez  at  the  instant,  rushed  upon 
hini,  and  wounded  him  with  his  sword. 

The  other  Indians  struck  with  terror  had  lied.  The  Spaniard 
and  Cotubamana  now  grappled  with  each  other ;  Lopez  had  seized 
the  chief  by  the  hair  of  his  head,  with  one  hand,  and  was  aiming 
with  the  other,  a  thrust  with  his  sword,  at  his  naked  body,  but  the 
chief  struck  down  the  sword  with  his  arm,  and  closed  in  with  his 
antagonist,  and  threw  him  with  his  back  upon  the  rough  rocks. 

As  they  were  both  men  of  great  strength,  the  struggle  was  long 
and  violent.  The  sword  lay  beneath  them,  but  Cotubamana  seized 
with  his  great  hand,  the  Spaniard's  throat,  began  to  strangle  him, 
when  the  sound  of  the  contest  brought  the  other  Spaniards  to  the 
spot.  They  found  their  companion  writliing  and  gasping  in  the 
agonies  of  death,  in  t'le  gripe  of  the  Indian.  The  whole  band  now 
fell  upon  him,  and  linally  succcecred  in  binding  his  noble  limbs, 
when  they  carried  hiin  to  St.  Domingo,  where  the  infernal  Span- 
iards hanged  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  murderer. — Irving^s  Life  of 
Columbus^  3d  Vol.  page  159. 

Could  this  native  have  been  less  than  twelve  feet  in  height,  to 
be  in  proportion  with  the  breadth  of  his  shoulders,  which  was  full 
three  feet,  as  Las  Casas  relates.  In  reading  the  story  of  the  mise- 
rable death  of  this  hera  of  his  own  native  island,  Higuey,  we  are 
reminded  of  the  no  less  tragical  end  of  Wallace,  the  Scottish  chief, 
who  was,  it  is  said,  a  man  of  great  size  and  strength,  and  was  also 
executed  for  defending  his  country. 

Goliath  of  Gath  was  six  cubits  and  a  span  high,  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  estimate  of  Bishop  Cumberland,  was  eleven  feet  and  ten 
inches ;  Cotubamana  and  Goliath  of  the  Philistines,  were,  it  »p- 


■;;■::! 


i> 


•^  . 


i'';! 


IM  AMEntCAJC    AT^TICtTTmES 

pea  J,  much  of  the  samo  stature,  terrible  to  look  upon,  and  irresisti- 
ble in  strength. 

There  are  those  who  have  imagined  that  the  first  inhabitants  of 
the  globe,  both  men  and  anin-.als,  were  mufh  larger  than  at  the  pre- 
sent time,  or  at  lea^t,  that  many  nations,  with  many  sorts  of  beasts, 
and  fowls,  were  of  greater  magnitude  than  are  now  known. 

In  support  of  this  opinion,  (lie  ndics  of  the  mammoth,  with  the 
remains  of  other  vast  animals,  the  traditions  of  Hebrew  origin,  re- 
specting the  existence  of  ^hole  nations  of  gigantic  people,  go  to 
favour  this  notion. 

Indications  now  and  then  appear,  in  several  parts  of  the  earth,  as 
mentioned  by  the  traveller,  of  llic  existence  of  fowls,  of  a  size  com- 
pared with  the  mammoth  ilself,  considering  the  difference  in  the 
elements  each  inhabit,  and  approach  each  other  in  size  as  nearly  as 
the  lafgestfowl  now  kr.own,  does  the  largest  animal. 

Henderson,  in  his  travels  in  New  Siberia,  met  with  the  claw-s  of 
a  bird,  measuring  each  three  feet  in  length ;  the  same  was  the 
length  of  the  toes  of  a  mammoth,  as  measured  by  Adam  Clark. 

The  Yakuts,  inhabitants  of  the  Siberian  country,  assured  Mr. 
Henderson,  that  they  had  freqiiently,  in  their  hunting  excursions, 
found  the  skeleton,  and  even  the  feathers  of  this  fowl,  the  quills  of 
which  were  large  enough  to  admit  a  man's  arm  into  the  calibre, 
which  would  not  be  out  of  proportion  with  the  size  of  the  claws 
mentioned  above. 

Captain  Cook  mentions  having  seen,  d;;ring  his  voyages,  a  mon- 
strous bird's  nest  in  New  Holland,  on  a  low,  sandy  island,  in  En- 
deavour river,  with  trees  upon  it,  where  were  an  incredible  number 
of  sea  fowls.  This  monstrous  nest  was  built  on  the  ground,  with 
large  sticks,  and  Avas  no  less  than  twenty-six  feet  in  circumference, 
more  than  eight  feet  across,  and  two  feet  eight  inches  high.  This 
indeed,  must  have  been  of  the  species  celebrated  in  the  tradition  of 
the  ancients,  called  the  Phcenix. 

In  various  parts  of  Ireland,  are  frequently  dug  up  enormous 
horas,  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  a  species  of  deer,  now  extinct 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


167 


Some  of  these  horns  have  been  found,  of  the  extent  of  fourteen 
feet  from  tip  to  tip,  furnislicd  with  brow  autlers,  and  w.iighing  three 
hundred  pounds.  The  whole  skeleton  is  frequently  found  with 
them.  It  is  supposed  the  animal  rau.'it  have  been  about  twelve 
feet  high. — Morse.  , 


A  FURTHER   ACCOUNT   OF   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE    WEST,  AS 
GIVEN  BY  THE  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETY  AT  CINCINNATI. 

Nkar  Newark,  in  the  county  of  Licking,  Ohio,  is  situated  one 
of  those  immense  works  of  fortifications.  Its  builders  chose,  with 
good  taste  and  judgment,  this  site  for  their  town,  being  exactly  od 
the  point  of  land  at  the  junction  of  Rackoon  Creek  and  South  Fork, 
where  Licking  River  commences.  It  is  in  form  resembling  some- 
what a  horse  shoo,  accommodated,  however,  to  the  sv/eep  of  those 
two  streams  ;  embracing,  in  the  wlmle,  a  circumference  of  about 
six  hundred  rods,  or  nearly  two  miles. 

A  wall  of  earth,  of  about  four  hundred  rods,  is  raised  on  the 
sides  of  this  fort  next  to  the  small  creek  which  comes  down  along 
its  sides  from  the  west  and  east.  The  situation  is  beautiful,  as  these 
works  stand  on  a  large,  plain,  which  is  elevated  forty  or  fifty  feet 
above  the  streams  just  noticed,  and  is  almost  perfectly  flat,  and  as 
rich  a  soil  as  can  be  found  in  that  country  It  would  seem  the  peo- 
ple who  made  this  settlement,  undertook  to  encompass,  with  a  wall, 
as  much  land  as  would  support  its  inhabitants,  and  also  sufficient  to 
build  their  dwellings  on,  with  several  fortifications,  arranged  in  a 
proper  manner  for  its  defence. 

There  arc,  within  its  ranges,  four  of  those  forts,  of  different  di- 
mensions ;  one  contains  forty  acres,  with  a  wall  of  about  ten  feet 
high ;  another,  containing  twenty-two  acres,  also  walled,  but  in  this 
fort  is  an  elevated  observatory,  of  a  sufficient  height  to  overlook  the 
whole  country.    From  this  there  is  the  appearance  of  a  secret  or 


w 


f  .  Ill 


158 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


'i 


'»; 


subterranean  passage  to  the  Avater,  us  one  of  the  creeks  runs  near 
this  fort. 

A  third  fort,  containhig  about  twenty-six  acres,  having  a  wall 
around  it,  thrown  out  of  a  deep  ditch,  on  the  inner  side  of  the  wall 
This  wall  is  now  from  twonty-five  to  thirty  foet  in  height. 

A  fourth  fortification,  enclosing  twenty  acres,  with  a  wall  of  about 
ten  feet  high.  Two  of  these  forts  are  perfect  circles  ;  one  a  per- 
fect square  ;  and  another  an  octagon  or  eight  sided.  These  forts 
are  severally  connected,  by  roads  running  betAveen  parallel  walls  ; 
and  also  in  the  same  ',»'ay  communicate  with  the  creeks  ;  so  that 
these  important  points,  in  case  of  invasion,  should  not  be  deprived 
of  water.  There  are,  besides  the  forts,  four  other  small  works  of 
defence,  of  a  circular  form,  sittiatcd  in  such  a  manner  as  to  protect, 
in  a  measure,  the  roads  running  from  fort  to  fort.. 

The  fort  which  is  of  the  eight  sided  form,  containing  the  great- 
est space  within,  has  eight  gateways,  with  a  mound  in  front  of  each 
of  then,  and  were  doubtless  jilaced  there  to  aid  in  a  defence  against 
invaders.  The  other  forts  have  no  gateways  connected  with  the 
roads  that  lead  to  them,  except  one,  and  this  is  a  round  fort  united 
to  the  octangular  fort,  containing  twenty-two  acres  ;  the  gateway 
to  this  looks  toward  the  wilderness  ;  at  this  gate  is  also  a  mound, 
suppossd  to  be  for  its  defence^. 

On  the  southern  side  of  this  great  town,  is  a  road  running  off  to 
the  country,  which  is  also  walled  in  the  same  way  ;  it  has  been 
surveyed  a  few  miles,  and  is  supposed  to  connect  other  similar 
works  on  the  Hokhoking,  thirty  miles  distance,  at  some  point  a  few 
miles  north  of  Lancaster,  as  walls  of  the  description  connected  with 
this  work,  of  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  extent,  have  been  discovered. 
It  is  supposed,  also,  that  the  walls  on  each  side  of  the  road  were 
made  for  the  double  purpoise  of  answering  as  a  fence  to  their  fields, 
with  gateways  to  accommodate  their  farms,  and  for  security  in  time 
of  danger,  so  that  communion  between  friendly  settlements  might 
uot  be  interrupted.    About  the  walls  of  this  place  have  been  dis- 


ANU  DISCOVERIES   IH    THE    U'CST. 


169 


covered  very  beautiful  rock  crystal  and  horn  stone,  suitable  for  ar- 
row and  spear  heads,  a  little  lead,  suljihur,  and  iron. 

This  kind  of  stone,  suitable  for  spears,  was,  undoubtedly,  valua- 
ble on  other  accounts,  as  axes,  knives,  mallets,  &c.,  were  made  of 
it.  It  is  likely  that,  as  very  little  iron  has  been  discovered,  even 
in  its  oxydized  state,  their  vast  works  of  excavation  were  carried  on 
by  means  of  wooden  shovels  and  scrapers,  which  would  answer 
very  well  in  the  easy  and  stoneless  soil  of  that  country. 

A  second  fort,  situated  southwesterly  from  the  great  works  on 
the  Licking,  and  four  or  live  miles,  in  a  northwestern  direction, 
from  Somerset,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Perry  county,  is  found.  This 
work  encloses  about  forty  acres  ;  its  wall  is  entirely  of  stone,  not 
regularly  laid  up  in  a  wall  agreeably  to  the  rules  of  masonry,  but 
a  huge  mass  of  stones  and  rocks  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  as  nature 
formed  them,  without  the  mark  of  an  iron  tool  upon  them.  These 
are  in  sufficient  quantity  to  form  a  wall,  if  laid  in  good  order,  of 
about  fourteen  feet  in  height,  and  three  in  thickness. 

Near  the  centre  of  the  area  of  this  enclosure,  is  a  stone  mound, 
of  a  circular  form,  about  fifteen  feet  high,  and  was  erected,  as  is 
conjectured,  for  an  altar,  on  which  were  performed  their  religious 
rites,  and  also  for  a  monument  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  some 
great  event  in  the  hlstoiy  of  its  builders.  It  is  al;o  believed  that 
the  whole  of  this  vast  preparation  v.as  devoted  solely  to  the  j-j: 
poses  of  worship  of  some  kind  ;  as  it  is  situated  on  very  higli 
ground,  where  the  soil  is  good  for  nothing,  and  may  have  been, 
what  is  called,  an  high  place  in  Scripture,  according  to  the  customs 
of  the  ancient  pagans. 

It  could  not  have  been  a  military  work,  as  no  water  is  found 
there,  nor  a  place  of  dwelling,  for  the  same  reason,  and  from  the 
poverty  of  the  soil  ;  but  must  have  been  a  place  of  resort  on  great 
occasions,  such  as  a  solemn  assembly  to  propitiate  the  gods ;  and 
also  a  place  to  anoint  and  crown  their  kings,  elect  legislators,  trans- 
act national  aflairs,  judge  among  the  people,  and  inflict  condign 
punisnraeut. 


160 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIEg 


VAST  WORKS  OF  THE  ANCIENT  NATIONS  ON  THE  EAST 
SIDE  OF  THE  MUSKINGUM. 


, !  i 


This  fort,  town  or  fortification,  or  w'latevsr  it  may  have  been, 
is  between  three  and  four  hundred  rods,  or  rising  of  a  mile,  in  cir- 
cumference, and  so  situated  as  to  be  nearly  surrounded  by  two 
small  brooks,  running  into  the  Muskingum.  Their  site  is  on  an 
elevated  plain,  above  the  present  bank  of  that  river,  about  a  half 
mile  from  its  junction  with  the  Ohio. 

We  give  the  account  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Atwater,  president  of 
the  Antiquarian  Society.  "  They  consist  of  walls  and  mounds  of 
earth,  in  direct  lines,  and  in  square  and  circular  forms.  "  The 
largest  square  fort,  by  some  called  the  town,  contains  forty  acres, 
encompassed  by  a  wall  of  earth,  from  six  to  ten  feet  high,  and  from 
twenty  to  thirty  in  breadth  at  the  base. 

"  On  each  side  are  three  openings  at  equal  distances,  resembling 
twelve  gate  ways.  The  entrances  at  the  middle,  are  the  largest, 
particularly  on  the  side  next  to  the  Muskingum.  From  this  outlet 
is  a  covert  way  formed  of  two  parallel  walls  of  earth,  two  hundred 
and  thirty-one  feet  distant  from  each  other,  measured  from  centre 
to  centre.  The  walls  at  the  most  elevated  part,  on  the  inside,  are 
twenty-one  feet  in  height,  and  forty-two  in  breadth,  at  the  base, 
but  on  the  outside  average  only  about  five  feet  in  height.  This 
forms  a  passage  of  about  twenty  rods  in  length,  leading  by  a  gradu- 
al descent  to  the  low  ground; ,  where,  at  the  time  of  its  construction, 
it  probably  reached  the  river.  Its  walls  commence  at  sixty  feet 
from  the  ramparts  of  the  fort,  and  increase  in  elevation  as  the  way 
descend^;  towards  the  river  ;  and  the  bottom  is  rounded  in  the  cen- 
tre, in  the  manner  of  a  well  founded  turnpike  road. 

Within  the  walls  of  the  fort,  at  its  northwest  corner,  is  an  oblong 
elevated  square,  one  hundred  and  eighty-feet  long,  one  hundred  and 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN    THE  WEST. 


161 


thirty-two  broad,  and  nine  feet  high,  level  on  the  summit,  and,  even 
now,  nearly  perpendicular  at  the  sides.  Near  the  south  wall  is  an 
elevated  square,  an  hundred  and  fifty  by  an  hundred  and  twenty, 
and  eight  feet  high,  similar  to  the  other,  excepting  that  instead  of 
an  ascent  to  go  up  on  the  side  next  the  wall,  there  is  a  hollow  way, 
ten  feet  wide,  .v^ading  twenty  feet  towards  the  centre,  and  then  ris- 
ing with  a  gradual  slope  to  the  top.  This  was,  it  is  likely,  a  secret 
passage.  At  the  southeast  <!orner  is  a  third  elevated  square,  of  an 
hundred  and  eighty  by  fifty-four  feet,  with  ascents  at  the  ends,  ten 
feet  wide,  but  not  so  high  nor  perfect  as  the  two  others, 

Besides  this  forty  acre  fort,  which  is  situated  within  the  great 
range  of  the  surrounding  wall,  there  is  another,  containing  twenty 
acres,  with  a  gateway  in  the  centre  of  each  side,  and  at  each  corner 
these  gateways  are  defended  by  circular  mounds. 

On  the  outside  of  the  smaller  fort  is  a  mound,  in  form  of  a  sugar 
loaf ;  its  base  is  a  regular  circle,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  in 
diameter,  or  twenty-one  rods  in  circumference  ;  its  altitude  is  thirty 
feet.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  ditch  four  feet  deep,  fifteen  feet  wide, 
and  defended  by  a  para^jet  four  feet  high,  through  which  is  a 
gate  way  towards  the  fort,  twenty  feet  in  width.  Near  one  of  the 
corners  of  the  great  fort,  was  found  a  reservoir,  or  well  twenty-five 
feet  in  diameter,  and  seventy-five  in  circumference,  with  its  sides 
raised  above  the  common  level  of  the  adjoining  surface,  by  an  em- 
bankment of  earth,  three  and  four  feet  high." 

It  was,  undoubtedly,  at  first  very  deep,  as,  since  its  discovery  by 
the  first  settlers,  they  have  frequently  thrust  poles  into  it  to  the 
depth  of  thirty  feet.  It  appears  to  run  to  a  point,  like  an  inverted 
cone  or  funnel,  and  was  undoubtedly  that  kind  of  well  used  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  old  world,  which  were  so  large  at  their  top  as  to 
afford  an  easy  descent  down  to  the  fountain,  and  up  again  with  its 
water  in  a  vessel  borne  on  the  shoulder,  according  to  the  ancient 
custom.  See  Genesis  13th  chapter,  24th  verse  :  "  And  she,  (that 
is  Rebecca,  the  daughter  of  Bethuel,)  went  down  to  the  well 


162 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


filled  her  pitcher,  and  came  up."  Bethuel  was  an  Assyrian,  who, 
it  seems,  had  made  a  ^vcll  in  the  same  form  with  that  described 
above.  Its  sides  were  lined  with  a  stratum  of  fine  ash  coloured 
clay,  eight  and  ten  inches  thick,  beyond  which  is  the  common  soil 
of  the  place.  It  is  conjectured  that  at  the  bottom  of  this  well  might 
be  found  many  curious  articles  which  belonged  to  the  ancient  inha- 
bitants. 

On  both  sides  of  these  walls  are  found  fragments  of  pottery,  cu- 
riously ornamented,  made  of  shells  and  clay,  fine  gravel  and  clay, 
burnt  in  the  fire,  and  capable  of  holding  liquids.  When  broken  it 
appears  quite  black,  with  brilliant  particles  appearing  as  it  is  held 
to  the  light. 

Several  pieces  of  copper  have  been  found  iu  and  near  these  an- 
rient  works,  at  various  places  ;  and  one  was  in  the  form  of  a  cup, 
with  low  sides,  the  bottom  very  thick  and  strong. 


111- 


RUINS  OF  ANCIENT  AVORKS  AT  CIRCLEVILI.E. 

At  Circleville  in  Ohio,  are  the  remains  of  very  great  works  oC 
this  description,  evidently  of  a  military  character  These  two  forts 
are  united  ;  one  is  exactly  square,  the  other  an  exact  circle.  The 
square  fort  is  fifty  rods  on  each  side,  the  round  one  is  nearly  three 
hundred  feet,  or  eighteen  rods  iu  circumference  ;  the  circle  and 
square  touching  each  otiier,  and  communicate  at  the  very  spot 
where  they  are  united,  by  a  wide  gateway. 

The  circular  fort  is  surrounded  by  tivo  walls,  with  a  deep  ditch 
between  them  ;  the  square  fort  is-  also  encompassed  by  a  wall, 
without  a  ditch.  The  walls  of  the  circular  fort  were  at  least  twen- 
ty feet  in  height,  measuring  from  the  bottom  of  the  ditch,  before 
the  town  of  Circleville  was  built.     The  inner  wall  was  formed  of 


AND    DISCOVERIES    )?f   THE    WEST. 


163 


clay,  brought  from  a  distance,  but  the  outside  one  was  formed  with 
the  earth  of  the  ditch. 

There  were  eight  gate  ways,  or  openings,  leading  into  the  square 
fort,  and  only  one  into  the  circular.  Before  each  of  these  open- 
ings was  a  mound  of  earth,  about  four  feet  high,  forty  feet  in  diam- 
eter at  the  base,  and  twenty  feet  and  upwards  at  tlie  top,  situated 
about  two  rods  in  front  of  the  gates  ;  for  the  defence,  no  doubt,  of 
these  openings.  The  walls  of  this  work  vary  a  few  degrees  from 
north  and  south,  and  east  and  west,  but  no  more  than  the  needle 
varies  ;  and  not  a  few  surveyors  have,  from  this  circumstance, 
been  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  authors  of  these  work« 
were  acquainted  with  astronom'j. 

Within  the  great  square  fort  ^'e  eight  small  mounds,  placed  op- 
posite the  gate  ways,  for  their  defence,  or  to  give  opportunity  to 
privileged  spectators  to  review  the  thousands  passing  out  to  war,  or 
coming  in  with  the  trophies  of  victory.  Such  was  the  custom  of  an- 
cient times.  David,  the  most  potent  king  of  the  Jews,  stood  at  the 
gateway  as  his  armies  went  to  quell  the  insurrection  of  his  son 
Absalom.  See  2d  Samuel,  18th  chapter,  4th  verse  :  "  And  the 
king  stood  by  the  gate  side,  and  all  the  people  came  out  by  hun- 
dreds and  by  thousands."  It  cannot  be  supposed  the  king  stood 
on  the  ground,  on  a  common  level  ■^^  ith  his  armies.  Such  a  situa- 
tion would  be  extremely  inconvenient,  and  defeat,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, the  opportunity  of  review.  How  impressive,  when  soldiers, 
fired  with  all  the  ardour  of  expected  victory,  to  behold  their  gene- 
ral, chief,  king,  or  emperor,  bending  over  them,  as  they  pass  on, 
from  some  commanding  position  near  ftt  hand,  giving  counsel  to 
their  captains  ;  drawing,  in  this  way,  large  draughts  on  the  indi- 
vidual confidence  and  love  of  the  soldiery.  Such  may  have  been 
the  spectacle  at  the  gateways  of  the  forts  of  tlie  Avest,  at  the  eras  of 
their  grandeur. 

In  musing  on  the  structure  of  these  vast  works  found  along 
the   western    rivers,     enclosing    such   immense   spaces  of  land, 


'r\fi 


mi^s 


."^-.  -■ 


1G4 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIKS 


1  iw 

I 


the  miud  is  irresiutibly  direeted  to  a  contemplatiou  of  ancient  Bs* 
bylon,  the  first  city  of  magnitude  built  immediately  after  the  flood. 
That  city  was  of  a  square  form,  being  fifteen  miles  distance  on  each 
of  its  sides,  and  sixty  in  circumference,  surrounded  with  a  wall 
eighty-seven  feet  in  thickness,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  in  height. 
On  each  side  it  had  twenty-five  gateways,  amounting  in  all  to  an 
hundred  ;  the  whole,  besides  the  wall,  surrounded  with  a  deep  and 
wide  ditch.     At  each  corner  of  this  immense  square,  was  a  strong 
tower,  ten  feet  higher  than  the  walls.      There  were  fifty  broad 
streets,  each  fifteen  miles  long,  starting  from  each  of  its  gates,  and 
an  hundred  and  fifty  feet  broad,  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles  ; 
besides  four  half  streets,  surrounding  the  whole,  two  hundred  feet 
broad.     The  whole  city  wbs  divided  into  six  hundred  and  seventy- 
six  squares,  four  and  a  half  furlongs  on  each  side.     In  the  centre  of 
the  city  stood  the  temple  of  Relus,  and  in  the  centre  of  this  temple 
stood  an  immense  tower,  six  lumdred  feet  square  at  its  base,  and 
six  hundred  feet  high,  narrowing  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid  as  it  as- 
cended.    The  ascent  to  the  summit  was  accomplished  by  spiral 
stairs,  winding  eight  times  round  the  whole.     This  tower  consisted 
of  eight  distinct  parts,  each  on  the  top  of  the  other,  scver*v-five 
feet  high,  till  the  whole,  in  aggregate,  finished  the  tower. 

In  the  different  stories  were  temples,  or  chapels,  for  the  worship 
of  the  sun  ;  and  on  its  top,  some  authors  say,  was  an  image  of  gold, 
forty  feet  in  height,  equal  in  value  to  three  millions  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars. — Blake's  Atlas. 

The  moddle  of  this  city,  with  its  towers  at  the  corners,  and  pyra- 
mid in  its  centre,  having  been  made  at  so  early  a  period  of  time, 
being  not  far  from  an  hundred  years  after  the  flood,  was  doubtless 
of  sufficient  influence  to  impress  its  image  on  the  memory  of  tra- 
dition, so  that  the  nations  spreading  out  from  that  region  over  all  the 
earth,  may  have  copied  this  Chaldean  model  in  their  various 
works. 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN    THE  WEST 


16ft 


This  thought  is  strengthened  when  we  compare  its  counterpart, 
the  vast  works  of  the  west,  with  this  Babylonian  prototype  of  archi- 
tectural effort,  and  imagine  we  see  in  the  latter,  the  features  and 
general  outlines  of  this  giant,  among  cities,  iu  the  towers,  walls, 
and  pyramids  of  the  western  states. 

Near  the  round  fort  at  Circleville,  is  anotaer  fort,  ninety  feet 
high,  and  was  doubtless  erected  to  overlook  the  whole  works  of 
that  enormous  military  establishment.  That  it  was  a  military  es- 
tablishment is  the  decided  opinion  of  the  President  of  the  Western 
Antiquarian  Society,  Mr.  Atwater.  He  says  the  round  fort  was 
picketed  in,  if  we  are  to  judge  from  the  appearance  of  the  ground, 
on  and  about  the  walls.  Half  way  up  the  outside  of  the  inner  wall, 
is  a  place  distinctly  to  be  seen,  wheje  a  row  of  pickets  once  stood, 
and  where  it  was  placed  when  this  work  of  defence  was  originally 
erected.  Finally,  this  work  about  its  walls  and  ditch,  a  few  years 
since,  presented  as  much  of  a  defensive  aspect,  as  forts  which  were 
occupied  in  our  war  with  the  French,  such  as  Oswego,  Fort  Stan- 

wix,  and  others. 

These  works  have  been  examined  by  the  first  military  men  now 

living  in  the  United  States,  and  they  have  uniformly  declared  their 

opinion  to  be,  that  they  were  miUtary  works  of  defence. 


ANCIENT  WORKS  ON  PAINT  CREEK.  , 

*      .  .' 
On  Paint  Creek,  in  Ohio,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Cbilicothe, 

are  works  of  art,  still  more  wonderful  than  any  yet  described. 
There  are  six  in  number,  and  are  in  the  neighbourhood  of  each 
other.  In  one  of  those  grand  enclosures  are  contained  three  forts, 
one  embraces  seventeen,  another  twenty-seven,  a  third  seventy-se- 
ven, amounting  in  all  to  an  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land. 

One  of  those  forts  is  round,  another  square,  and  a  third  is  of  an 
irregular  form,  approaching,  however,  nearer  to  the  circular  than 


..   i  m 


li 


160 


AMERICATf    ANTIQUITIES 


any  other,  and  the  ^all  which  embraces  the  whole,  is  so  contrived 
in  its  courses,  as  to  favor  those  several  forms ;  the  whole  oeing,  evi- 
dently, one  work,  separated  into  three  compartments. 

There  are  fourteen  gateways,  going  out  of  the  whole  work,  be 
sides  three  which  unite  the  several  forts,  one  with  the  other,  in- 
wardly ;  all  these,  especially  those  leading  outwardly,  are  veiy  wide, 
being,  as  they  now  appear,  from  one  to  six  rods.  At  three  of  those 
gateways,  on  the  outside  of  the  wall,  are  as  many  ancient  wells ; 
and  one  on  the  inside,  where  doubtless,  the  inhabitants  procured 
water.  Their  width  at  the  top  is  from  four  to  six  rods,  but  their 
depth  unknown,  as  they  are  now  nearly  filled  up.  Within  the 
greatest  enclosure,  containing  the  seventy-seven  acres,  is  an  elhp- 
tical  elevation  of  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  and  so  large,  that  its 
area  is  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  rods  circumference,  composed 
almost  entirely  of  stone  in  their  rough  and  natural  state,  brought 
from  a  hill  adjacent  to  the  place. 

This  elevated  work  is  full  of  human  bones,  and  some  have  not 
hesitated  to  express  a  belief,  that  on  this  work,  human  beings  were 
once  sacrificed.  The  surface  is  smooth  and  level,  favouring  the 
idea  of  the  horrid  parade,  such  occasions  would  produce  ;  yet  they 
may  have  been  erected  for  the  purpose  of  mere  military  manoeuvre- 
ing,  which  would  produce  a  spectacle  very  imposing,  composed  of 
thousands,  harnessed  in  their  war  attire,  with  nodding  plumes. 

About  a  mile  from  this  fort,  there  is  a  work  m  the  form  of  a  half 
moo<t,  set  round  the  edges  with  stones ;  neat  this  semicircle  is  a  ve- 
ry  singular  moiind  of  only  five  feet  in  height,  but  ninety  feet  in  cir- 
cumference, composed  entirely  of  red  ochre ;  which  answers  well 
f^  a  paint.  An  abundance  of  this  ochre  is  found  on  a  hill,  not  a 
great  distance  from  this  place ;  from  which  circumstance,  the  stream 
which  runs  along  here  is  called  Paint  Creek. 

So  Vast  a  heap  of  this  paint  being  deposited,  is  pretty  clear  evi- 
dence that  it  was  an  article  of  commerce  among  these  nations.  Here 
may  have  been  a  store  house,  or  a  range  of  them,  attended  by  sales- 


kUD   JDJSCOVEIUIkS    IN    THE    VVE3T. 


167 


men,  or  mercliants ;  who  took  in  exchange  for  it,  copper,  feathers, 
bow  and  arrow  timber,  stone  for  liatchets,  spears,  and  knives,  wood- 
en ploughs  and  shovels;  with  skins  and  furs,  for  clothing;  stones 
for  building  their  rude  altars  and  works  ;  with  food  to  sustain  the 
populace,  as  is  the  manner  of  cities  at  the  present  time.  Red  paint 
in  particular,  is  used  now  among  the  Hindoos,  which  they  mark 
themselves  with,  as  well  as  their  gods.  This  vast  collection  of  red 
paint,  by  the  ancient  nations,  on  Paint  Creek,  favour  the  Oj^inion  that 
it  was  put  to  the  same  use,  by  the  same  people. 

Near  this  work  is  another,  on  the  same  creek,  enclosing  eighty- 
four  acres,  part  of  which  is  a  square  fort,  with  seven  gateways ; 
and  the  other  a  fort,  of  an  irregular  oval,  with  seven  gateways,  sur- 
rounded with  a  wall  like  the  others.  But  the  most  interesting  v/ork 
of  the  three  contiguous  forts,  is  yet  to  be  described.  It  is  situated 
on  a  high  lull,  of  more  than  three  hundred  feet  elevation,  and  iu 
many  places  almost  perpendicular.  The  wall  running  round  this 
work,  is  built  exactly  on  the  brow  of  the  precipice,  and  in  its  cours- 
es, is  accommodated  to  the  variations  of  this  natural  battlement,  en- 
closing, in  the  whole,  an  hundrt:d  and  thirty  acres.  On  its  south 
end  the  ground  is  level,  where  the  entrance  to  the  fort  is  easy.  At 
the  north  end,  which  approaches  pretty  near  to  Paint  Cre^.k,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  gateway  descending  to  the  water,  the  ground 
favouring  it  at  this  point,  as  well  as  at  one  other,  leading  to.  a  liftle 
stream,  which  runs  along  its  base,  on  the  east  side  of  this  eminence, 
where  is  also  another  gateway ;  these  three  places  are  the  only 
points  which  are  at  all  accessible.  The  wall  round  the 'whole  one 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  is  entirely  of  stone,  and  is  in  sufficient 
quantity,  if  laid  up  in  good  order,  to  make  it  ten  feet  high,  and 
four  thick.  At  the  north  gateway,  stones  enough  now  lie,  to  have 
built  two  considerable  jound  towers,  taken  from  the  hill  itself,  and 
are  of  the  red  sand  stone  kind.  ♦ 

Near  the  south  end  of  this  enclosure,  at  the  place  where  it  is  ea- 
siest of  access,  "  appear  to  have  been  a  row  of  furnaces,  (says  Mr^ 


168 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


Atvrater)  or  smith's  shops,  where  the  cinders  now  lie,  many  feet 
deep ;  I  am  not  able  to  say  Avith  certainty,  what  manufactures  were 
carried  on  here,  whether  brick  or  iron,  or  both."  It  was  a  clay, 
that  had  been  exposed  to  the  action  of  fire  ;  the  remains  of  which 
are  four  and  five  feet  in  depth;  which  shows  in  a  good  degree,  the 
arpount  of  business  done  was  great.  "  Iron  ore,  in  this  country,  is 
sometimes  found  in  such  clay ;  brick  and  potter's  ware  are  novv 
manufactured  out  of  it.  This  fort  is,  from  its  natural  site,  one  of  th^ 
strongest  positions  of  the  kind  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  so  high  is  its 
elevation,  and  so  nearly  perpendicular  are  the  sides  of  the  hill  on 
which  it  was  built."  At  the  several  angles  of  the  wall,  and  at  the 
gateways,  the  abundance  of  stone  lying  there,  leads  to  the  belief, 
that  at  those  points,  towers  and  battlements  once  overlooked  the 
country  to  an  immense  distance ;  from  whence  stones  and  arrows 
might  have  been  launched  away,  from  engines  adapted  to  that  pur- 
pose, among  the  approachiiig  enemy,  with  dreadful  effect;  "No 
military  man  could  have  selected  a  better  position  for  a  place  of  pro- 
tection to  his  countrymen,  their  temples  and  their  gods,"  than  this. 
In  the  bed  of  Paint  Creek,  which  washes  the  foot  of  the  hill,  on 
which  the  walled  town  stood,  have  been  discovered  four  wells. 
They  were  dug  through  a  pyritous  slate  rock,  which  is  very  rich  in 

iron  ore.      When  first  discovered,  by  a  person  passing  over  them 

t 
in  a  canoe;  they  were  covered,  each  by  stones  of. about  the  size 

and  shape  of  the  common  mill  stone.  These  covers  had  holes 
through  their  centre,  through  which  a  large  pry,  or  hand  spike  might 
be  put  for  the  purpose  of  removing  them  off  and  on  the  wells.  The 
hole  through  the  centre  of  each  stone,  was  about  four  inches  in  di- 
ameter. The  wells  at  their  tops  were  more  than  nine  feet  in  cir- 
cumference ;  the  stones  were  well  wrought  with  tools,  so  as  to 
make  good  joints ;  as  a  stone  mason  would  say,  wliich  were  laid 
around  them  severally,  as  a  pavement.  At  the  time  they  were  dug, 
it  is  not  likely,  Paint  Creek  run  over  these  wells.  For  what  they 
were  sunk,  is  a  mystery;  as  that  for  the  purposes  of  water, *so  ma- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IJi   THE  WEST. 


169 


ny  so  near  each  other,  would  scarcely  appear  necessary  ;  perfaapt 
for  some  kind  of  ore,  or  favorite  stone,  was  the  original  object. 

There  is,  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  one  of  those  works,  which  is  very 
extensive  and  wonderful,  on  account  of  walled  roads,  a '  high  place,* 
with  many  intricate  operations  in  its  construction. 

On  the  east  bank  of  the  Little  Miami,  about  thirty  miles  east 
from  Cincinnati,  are  vast  works  of  this  character ;  having  the  form 
almost  exactly  of  the  continent  of  North  and  South  America,  as 
presented  on  the  map,  on  which  account  some  have  supposed  thsf 
were  made  in  imitation  of  it. 


A  RECENT  DISCOVERY  OF  ONE  OF  THOSE  ANCIENT  WORKS 
AMONG  THE  ALLEGHENIES. 

New  discoveries  are  constantly  making  of  these  ancient  works, 
the  farther  we  go  west,  and  the  more  minute  the  research  is  prose- 
cuted, even  in  parts  already  settled. 

During  the  present  year,  1S32,  a  Mr.  Ferguson  communicated  to 
the  editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  a  discovery  of  the 
kind,  which  he  examined  and  describes  as  follows: 

"  On  a  mountain  called  the  Lookout  mountain,  belonging  to  the 
vast  AUeghenian  chain,  running  between  the  Tennessee  and  Coos 
rivers,  rising  about  one  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sur- 
rounding valley.  The  lop  of  the  mountain  is  mostly  level,  but  pre- 
sents to  the  eye,  an  almost  barren  waste.  On  this  range,  notwith- 
standing ita  height,  a  river  has  its  source,  and  after  traversing  it  for 
about  seventy  miles,  plunges  over  a  precipice.  The  rock  from 
which  the  water  falls,  is  circular,  and  juts  over  considerably.  Im- 
mediately below  the  fall,  on  each  side  of  the  river,  are  bluffs,  which 
rise  about  two  hundred  feet.  Around  one  of  these  bluffs,  the  river 
makes  a  bend,  which  gives  it  the  form  of  a  peninsula.     On  the  top 

of  this  are  the  remains,  of  what  is  esteemed  fortifications ;  whieh 

22 


i 


i 


170 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


I' 


consist  of  n  stone  wall,  built  on  the  very  brow  of  tins  tremendous 
ledge.  The  whole  length  of  the  wall,  following  the  varying  cour- 
ses of  the  brink  of  this  precipice,  is  thirty-seven  rods  and  eight  feet, 
including  about  two  acres  of  groviiid." 

The  only  descent  from  this  place  is  between  two  rocks,  for  about 
thirty  feet,  when  a  bench  of  the  ledge  presents  itself,  from  two  to 
five  feet  in  width,  and  ninety  feet  long.  This  bench  is  the  only 
road  or  path,  up  from  the  water's  edge  to  the  summit-  Eut  just  at 
the  foot  of  the  two  rocks,  where  they  reach  this  path,  and  within 
thirty  feet  of  the  top  of  the  rock,  are  five  rooms,  which  have  been 
formed  by  dint  of  labour.  1  he  entrance  to  these  lOoras  is  very 
small,  but  when  within,  they  are  fouiid  to  coniinunicate  with  each 
other,  by  doors  or  apertures.  Mr.  Ferguson  thinks  them  to  have 
been  constructed  during  some  dreadful  war,  and  tiwse  who  construc- 
ted them,  to  have  acted  on  the  dufensive;  and  believes  that  ttccnfy 
men  could  have  ^^ithstood  the  whole  army  of  Xerxes,  as  it  was  im- 
possible for  mon,  than  one  to  pass  at  a  time  ;  and  might  by  the 
slightest  push,  be  hurled,  at  least,  an  hundred  and  fifty  feet  down 
the  rocks.  The  reader  can  indulge  his  own  conjectures,  whether, 
in  the  construction  of  this  inaccessible  fortress,  he  does  not  perceive 
the  remnant  of  a  tribe  or  nation,  acquainted  with  the  arts  of  exca- 
vation and  defence  ;  making  a  last  struggle  against  the  invasion  of 
an  overwhelming  foe ;  where,  it  is  likely  they  were  reduced  by 
famine,  and  perished,  amid  the  yells  of  their  enemies. 


ft  I,' 


A  DESCRIPTION  OF  WESTERN  TUMULI,  OR  MOUNDS. 

We  now  proceed  to  a  description  of  the  ancient  tumuli  of  the 
west,  and  of  discoveries  made  on  opcnirg  many  of  them ;  quoted 
from  the  Researches  of  the  Antiquarian  Society. 

*^^  Ancient  Tumuli  is  considered  a  kind  of  antiquities,  differing  in 
character  from  that  of  the  other  works ;  both  on  accoimt  of  what 


ANO    discoveries    IK    THE   WEST. 


m 


are  frequently  di.snoverctd  in  them,  and  the  manner  of  their  con- 
struction.  They  are  conical  mounds,  either  of  earth  or  stones, 
which  were  intended  for  sacred  and  important  purposes.  In  many 
parts  of  the  world,  similar  mounds  were  used  as  moauments,  sepul- 
chres, altars,  and  temples.  The  accounts  of  these  works,  found  in 
the  Scriptures,  show  that  their  origin  must  be  sought  f.r  among  the 
Antediluvians. 

That  they  are  very  ancient,  and  were  used  as  places  of  sepulture, 
public  resort,  and  public  worship,  is  proved  by  all  the  writers  of 
ancient  times,  both  sacred  and  profane.  Homer  frequently  men- 
tions them,  particularly  describing  the  tumulus  of  Tydeus,  and 
the  spot  where  it  was.  In  memory  of  the  illustrious  dead,  a 
sepulchral  mound  of  earth  was  raised  over  their  remains ;  which, 
from  that  time  forward,  became  an  altar,  whereon  to  offer  sacriiices, 
and  around  which  to  exhibit  games  of  athletic  exercise.  These  of- 
ferings and  games  were  intended  ti  propitiate  their  manes,  to  honour 
and  perpetuate  their  memories.  Prudentius,  a  Roman  bard  has 
told  us  that  there  were  in  ancient  Rome,  just  as  many  temples  of 
gods,  as  there  were  sepulchres  of  heroes ;  implying  that  they 
were  the  same.  Need  I  mention  the  tomb  of  Anchies,  which  Vir- 
gil has  described,  with  the  offerings  there  presented,  and  the  games 
there  exhibit  id  r  The  sanctity  of  Acropolis,  where  Cecrops  was 
inhumed .'  The  tomb  of  the  father  of  Adonis,  at  Pa' iios,  whereon 
a  temple  dedicated  to  Venus,  was  erected  .'  The  grave  of  Cleoma- 
chus,  whereon  stood  a  temple  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  Apollo? 
Finally,  I  would  ask  the  classical  reader,  if  the  words  translated 
tomb,  and  temple,  are  not  «sed  as  synonymous,  by  the  poets  of  Greece 
and  Rome .'  Virgil,  who  wrote  in  the  days  of  Augustus  Cssar, 
speaks  of  these  tumuli,  as  being  as  ancient  as  they  were  sacred, 
even  in  his  time. 

In  later  times,  after  warriors  arose,  and  performed  great  and 
mighty  deeds,  the  whole  tribe,  or  nation,  joined,  to  raise  on  some 

high  place,"  generally,  a  lofty  tumulus,  for  commemorative  and , 


t  t«i 


i 


u 


m 


AMERICAlt    ANTIQUITir.f 


■acred  purposes.  At  first,  sacrifices  might  have  been,  and  proba- 
bly were,  ofTered  on  these  tiinjuli,  to  the  true  God,  as  the  Great  Au- 
thor and  Giver  of  life ;  but  in  later  times,  they  forgot  Him,  and 
worshipped  the  manea  of  heroes  they  had  buried  there. 

The  conical  mounds  in  Ohio,  are  either  of  stones  or  of  earth. 
The  former,  in  other  countries,  and  in  former  ages,  were  intended 
as  monuments,  for  the  purpose  of  perpetuating  the  memory  of  some 
important  event,  or  as  altars,  whereon  to  offer  sacrifices.     The  lat- 
ter were  used  as  cemeteries  and  as  altars,  whereon  in  later  times, 
temples  were  erected,  as  among  the  people  of  Greece  and  Rome. 
The  tumuli,  "are  of  various  altitudes  and  dimensions,  some  be- 
ing only  four  or  five  feet,  and  but  ten  or  tvi'elve  in  diameter,  at 
their  base,  while  others,  as  we  travel  to  the  south,  rise  to  the  height 
of  eighty,  ninety,  and  some  more  than  an  hundred  feet,  and  cover 
many  acres  of  ground.     They  are,  generally,  when  completed,  in 
the  form  of  a  cone.     Those  in  the  north  part  of  Ohio,  are  of  infe- 
rior size,  and  fewer  in  number,  than  those  along  the  river.     These 
mounds  are  believed  to  exist,  from  the  Rocky  mountains  in  the 
west,  to  the  Alleghenies  in  the  east ;   from  the  southern  shore  of 
Lake  Erie  to  the  Mexican  Gulf;   and  though  few  and  small  in  the 
north,  are  numerous  and  lofty  in  the  south,  yet  exhibit  proofs  of  a 
common  origin. 

On  Jonathan  creek,  in  Morgan  county,  are  found  some  mounds, 
whose  basis  are  formed  of  well  burnt  bricks,  between  four  and  five 
inches  square.  There  are  found  lying  on  the  bricks,  charcoal  cin- 
ders, and  pieces  of  calcined  human  bones.  Above  them  the  mounds 
were  composed  of  earth,  showing  that  the  dead  had  been  buried 
in  Uie  manner  of  several  eastern  nations,  and  the  mounds  raised  af- 
terwards. 

In  removing  the  earth  which  composed  an  ancient  mound  in  one 
of  the  streets  of  Marietta,  on  the  margin  of  the  plain,  near  the  for- 
tifications before  described,  several  curious  articles  were  discovered 


AND  DISCOVERIES    Ilf   TUC    WEST 


173 


ried 
af. 

one 
for- 
red 


in  1819.      They  appear  to  have  been  buried  with  the  body  of  the 
person  to  whose  memory  this  mound  was  erected. 

Lying  immediately  over,  or  on  tlie  forehead  of  the  body,  were 
found  three  larjje  circular  ornaments  for  a  sword  belt,  or  buckler  ; 
they  are  composed  of  copper,  overlaid  with  a  thick  plate  of  silver. 
The  fronts  of  them  were  slightly  convex,  with  a  depression,  like  a 
cup,  in  the  centre,  and  measured  two  inches  and  a  quarter  across 
the  face  of  each.  On  the  back  side,  opposite  the  depressed  por- 
tion, is  a  copper  rivet  or  nail,  around  which  are  two  separate  plates 
by  which  they  were  fastened  to  the  leather.  Both  the  plated  cop- 
per and  leather,  and  parts  of  the  belt,  are  certainly  evidences  of  a 
knowledge  of  the  arts  in  two  important  respects  ;  that  of  plating 
and  tanning,  equal  with  civilized  nations  at  the  time  of  the  Greeks 
and  Romans. 

Two  small  pieces  of  the  leather  were  found  lying  between  the 
plates  of  one  of  the  bosses,  resembling  the  skin  of  an  old  mummy, 
and  seem  to  have  been  preserved  by  the  salts  of  the  copper  ;  these 
plates  are  nearly  reduced  to  an  oxyde  or  rust.  The  silver  looks 
quite  black,  but  is  not  much  corroded,  and  on  rubbing  it  becomes 
quite  brilliant.  Two  of  these  are  entire,  the  third  one  is  so  much 
wasted  that  it  dropped  in  pieces  on  removing  it  from  the  earth. 
Around  the  rivet  of  one  of  them,  is  a  small  quantity  oi  flax  or  hemp, 
in  a  tolerable  state  of  preservation.  Near  the  side  of  the  body  was 
found  a  plate  of  silver,  which  appears  to  have  been  the  upper  part 
of  a  sword  scabbard  ;  it  is  six  inche;  in  length  and  two  iuches  in 
breadth  ;  it  has  no  ornaments  or  figures,  but  has  two  longitudinal 
ridgss,  which  probably  corresponded  with  the  edges  or  ridges  of 
the  sword  once  sheathed  by  it,  and  seems  to  have  been  fastened  to 
the  scabbard  by  three  or  four  rivets,  the  holes  of  which  yet  remain 
in  the  silver,      -k... 

Two  or  three  broken  pieces  of  a  copper  tube  were  also  found, 
filled  with  iron  rust.  These  pieces,  from  their  appearance,  com- 
posed the  lower  end  of  the  scabbard,  near  the  point  of  the  sword, 


I 


174 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


)i»V      V 


h     V 


but  no  sign  of  the  sword  itself  was  discovered,  except  the  appear* 
ance  of  rust,  as  above  mentioned.  Near  the  feet  was  found  a  piece 
of  copper,  weighing  three  ounces.  From  its  shape  it  appears  to 
have  been  used  as  a  phimb,  or  for  an  ornament,  as  near  one  of  the 
ends  is  a  circular  crease  or  groove,  for  tying  a  thread  ;  it  is  round, 
two  inches  and  a  half  in  length,  one  inch  in  diameter  at  the  centre,- 
ond  half  an  inch  at  the  end.  It  is  composed  of  small  pieces  of  na- 
tive copper,  pounded  together,  and  in  the  cracks  between  the 
pieces  are  stuck  several  bits  of  silver  ;  one  nearly  the  size  of  a  four 
penny  piece,  or  half  a  dime.  This  copper  ornament  was  covered 
with  a  coat  of  green  rust,  and  is  considerably  corroded.  A  piece 
of  red  ochre  or  paint,  and  a  piece  of  iron  ore,  which  has  the  appear- 
ance of  having  been  partially  vitrified,  or  melted,  was  also  found  ; 
the  ore  is  about  the  specific  gravity  of  pure  iron. 

The  body  of  the  person  here  buried,  was  laid  on  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  witli  his  face  upwards,  and  his  feet  pointing  to  the  north* 
east,  and  his  head  to  the  southwest.  From  the  appearance  of  se  - 
veral  pieces  of  charcoal,  and  bits  of  partially  burnt  sea  coal,  and  the 
black  colour  of  the  earth,  it  would  seem  that  the  funeral  obsequies 
had  been  celebrated  by  fire  ;  and  while  the  ashes  were  yet  hot  and 
smoking,  a  circle  of  these  flat  stones  had  been  laid  around  and  over 
the  body. 

This  drcular  covering  is  about  twenty-four  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, and  the  stones  yet  look  blai-k,  as  if  stained  with  fire  and 
smoke.  This  circle  of  stones  seems  to  have  been  the  nucleus  on 
which  the  mound  was  formed,  as  immediately  over  them  is  heaped 
the  common  earth  of  the  adjacent  plain.  This  mound  was  origin- 
ally about  ten  feet  high,  and  ninety  feet  in  circumference  at  its 
base  ;  and  has  every  appearance  of  being  as  old  as  any  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and  was,  at  the  first  settlement  of  Marietta,  covered  with 
large  trees. 

.    The  person  buried  here  was  about  six  feet  in  height,  nothing  dif- 
fering from  other  men  in  the  form  of  hia  bones,  except  the  skull, 


Its 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST- 


175 


which  was  uncommonly  thick.  The  timber  growing  on  this  mound, 
when  it  was  cleared  off,  was  ascertained  to  be  nearly  five  hundred 
years  old,  from  counting  tlie  concentric  circles  or  grains  of  the 
wood  on  the  stumps.  On  the  ground  beside  them  were  other 
trees  in  a  state  of  decay,  that  had  fallen  from  old  age." 

If  we  were  to  conjecture,  from  this  sort  of  data,  how  great  a  lapse 
of  years  has  ensued  since  the  abandonment  of  this  mound,  we 
should  pursue  the  fallowing  method.  From  the  time  when  the 
couutry  became  desolate  of  its  inhabitants,  till  trees  and  forests 
would  begin  to  grow,  cannot  well  be  reckoned  less  than  five  years. 
If  then  they  are  permitted  to  grow  five  hundred  years,  till  as  large 
and  as  old  as  some  of  the  trees  were  on  the  mound  when  it  was 
cleared  by  the  people  of  Marietta,  from  that  time  till  their  natural 
decay  and  fall  to  the  earth,  and  reduction  to  decayed  wood,  as  was 
found  on  the  mound,  could  nut  be  less  than  three  hundred  years,  in 
decaying  so  as  to  fall,  and  tlien  fifty  years  to  rot  in  ;  this  would 
give  eight  hundred  and  fifty-five  years  for  the  first  growth  of  tim- 
ber. From  this  time  we  reckon  a  second  crop,  which  we  will 
suppose  was  the  one  ^rowing  when  the  mound  was  cleared  of  its 
timber  ;  which  was,  according  to  Mr.  Atwater's  statement,  "  be- 
tween four  and  five  hundred  years  ;"  add  this  to  the  age  of  the 
first  crop,  say  four  hundred  and  fifty,  and  we  have,  in  the  whole, 
one  thousand  thiee  hundred  and  five  years,  since  it  was  deserted  of 
its  builders.  Dr.  Cutler  supposes  at  least  a  thousand  years.  Then 
it  will  follow,  taking  out  the  time  since  Marietta  was  settled,  and 
the  mound  cleared  of  its  timber,  that  the  country  was  deserted 
about  five  hundred  years  after  the  commencement  of  the  Chris- 
tian era. 

About  the  same  time,  say  from  the  year  410  to  500  of  the  Chris- 
tian era,  the  greater  part  of  I^urope  was  devastated  by  the  Goths, 
the  Huns,  the  Heruli,  the  Vandals,  the  Svvevri,  the  Alains,  and 
other  savage  tribe,  all  from  the  northern  wilds  of  ancient  Russia.. 
By  these  the  western  empiij  of  th    Romans,  comprehending  Italy, 


>   "i 


f# 


170 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


Germany,  France,  Spain,  and  England,  was  subverted  ;  all  litera- 
ture was  obliterated,  and  the  works  of  the  learned,  which  contained 
the  discoveries  and  improvements  of  ages,  were  annihilated. 

And  from  all  we  can  make  out  by  observing  the  growth  of  tim- 
ber, with  that  which  is  decayed,  as  found  on  the  deserted  Avorks 
..of  the  west,  we  are  inclined  to  believe,  that  about  the  same  period 
of  time  when  Europe  was  overrun  by  the  northern  hordes,  that  the 
region  now  called  the  United  States,  where  the  ancient  inhabitants 
had  fixed  their  abode,  was  also  overrun  by  northern  hordes  from 
toward  Bhering's  Straits,  who  had,  in  ages  before,  got  across  from 
Asia,  the  Tartars,  or  Scythians,  and  had  multiplied  ;  and  as  they 
multiplied  progressed  farther  and  farther  southerly,  till  they  disco- 
vered an  inhabited  country,  populous,  and  rich,  upon  whom  they 
fell  with  all  the  fury  of  Attila  and  his  Huns  ;  till,  after  many  a  long 
and  dreadful  war,  they  were  reduced  in  numbers,  and  driven  from 
their  country  far  to  the  south  ;  when  the  rich  fields,  vast  cities, 
innumerable  towns,  with  all  their  works,  were  reduced  to  the  an- 
cient dominion  of  nature,  as  it  was  when  first  overgrown  immedi- 
ately after  the  flood,  except  their  vast  pyramids,  fortifications,  and 
tumuli,  these  being  of  the  same  nature  and  durability  of  the  hills 
and  mountains,  have  stood  the  shock  of  war  and  time — the  monu- 
ments of  powerful  nations  disappeared. 

"  In  clearing  out  a  spring  near  some  ancient  ruins  of  the  west,  on 
the  bank  of  the  Little  Miami,  not  far  from  its  entrance  into  the 
Ohio,  was  found  a  copper  coin,  four  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
earth  ;  from  the  fac  simile  of  which  it  appears  that  the  characters 
on  the  coin  are  old  Persian  characters. — Morse'^s  Unice.rsal  Geogra- 
phy, Vol,  l,;)«(}e  442. 

The  era  of  the  Persians,  as  noticed  on  the  page  of  history,  was 
from  559,  after  the  flood,  till  334,  before  Christ,  and  were  a  people 
of  great  strength,  of  enterprising  character,  and  enlightened  in  the 
arts  and  sciences  ;  and  for  aught  that  can  be  objected,  traversed 
the  globe,  planted  colonies,  perhaps  even  in  America,  as  the  coin-, 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST- 


177 


y,  was 
people 
in  the 
.versed 
e  coin^ 


■which  lay  so  deep  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth,  vrould  seem 
to  justify  ;  which  was  truly  a  Persian  coin  of  copper. 

At  Cincinnati,  a  mound,  only  eight  feet  high,  but  one  hundred 
and  twenty  long,  by  sixiy  in  brendth,  has  been  opened,  and  is  now 
almost  obliterated,  by  the  construction  of  Main-street,  which  has 
furnished  many  curious  discoveries  relative  to  the  ancient  inhabi- 
tants who  built  it  "  Of  the  articles  taken  from  thence,  many  have 
been  lost  ;  but  the  most  worthy  of  notice  are  embraced  in  the  fol- 
lowing catalogue  : 

1st.  Pieces  of  jasper,  rock  crystal,  granite,  and  some  other  stones, 
cylindrical  at  the  extremes,  and  swelled  in  the  middle,  with  an  an- 
nular groove  near  the  end.  2  J.  A  circular  piece  of  stone  coal,  with 
a  large  opening  in  the  centre,  as  if  for  an  axis  or  axletree,  and  a 
deep  groove ;  the  circumference  suitable  for  a  hand  ;  it  has  a  num- 
ber of  smail  perforations,  disposed  in  four  equidistant  lines,  which 
run  from  the  circumference  towards  the  centre.  3d.  A  small  arti- 
cle of  tlie  same  shape,  with  eiglit  lines  of  perforations,  but  composed 
of  argilaceous  earth,  well  polished.  4th.  A  bone,  ornamented  with 
several  lines,  supposed  to  be  hi  noglyphical.  5th.  A  sculptured 
representation  of  the  head  and  beak  of  a  rapacious  bird,  resembling' 
the  eagle.  6th.  A  mass  of  lead  ore,  lumps  of  which  have  been 
found  in  other  tumuli.  7th.  A  quantity  of  isinglass,  (mica  mem- 
branacea,)  several  plates  of  which  have  been  found  in  and  abocL 
other  mounds.  Sth.  A  smedl  oval  piece  of  sheet  copper,  with  two 
perforation?;  ;  a  large  oblong  piece  of  the  same  metal,  with  longitu* 
diual  grooves  and  ridges. 

These  articles  are  described  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  volumes  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Transactions,  by  Governeur  Sargeant 
and  Judg3  Turner,  and  were  supposed,  by  Philosopher  Barton,  to 
have  been  designed,  in  part,  for  ornament,  and,  in  part,  for  super- 
stitous  ceremonies.  In  addition  to  which,  the  author,  (Mr.  Atwa- 
ter,)  says,  he  has  since  discovered,  in  the  same  mound,  a  number  of 

23  , 


( 


_  v.. 


178 


AMKRICAJN   ANTIQUITIEI 


.7 


beads,  or  sections,  of  small  hollow  cylinders,  apparently  of  bone  or 
shell. 

Several  large  marine  shells,  cu*;  in  such  a  manner  as  to  serve  for 
domestic  utensils,  and  nearly  converted  into  a  state  of  chalk  ;  seve- 
ral copper  articles,  each  consisting  of  two  sets  of  circular  concavo 
convex  plates,  the  interior  of  each  set  connected  with  the  other  by 
a  hollow  axis,  around  which  had  been  wound  some  lint,  and  the 
whole  encompassed  by  the  bones  of  a  man's  hand.  About  the  pre- 
cincts of  this  town,  Cincinnati,  human  bones  have  been  found  "  of 
different  sizes ;  sometimes  enclosed  in  rnde  stone  coffins,  but  of- 
tener  lying  blended  with  the  earth  ;  generally  surroimded  by  a 
portion  of  ashes  and  charcoal,"  as  if  they  had  been  burnt  either 
alive  or  dead,  as  the  Hindoos  burn  both  the  dead  husband  and  liv- 
ing wife,  on  the  same  funeral  pile.  See  Ward's  History  of  the  Hin- 
doos, page  67  ;  where  he  states,  "  that  not  less  than  five  thousand 
of  these  unfortunate  women,  it  is  supposed,  are  burnt  annually.'^ 
The  ancient  Jews  practised  the  same  thing  ;  see  Amos,  Cth  chap. 
10th  verse  :  "  And  a  man's  uncle  shall  take  him  up,  and  he  that 
burneth  him,  to  bring  out  the  bones  out  of  the  house."  The  ancient 
Edomites  burnt  the  dead  bodies  of  their  captured  enemies.  See 
Amos,  2d  chapter,  1st  verse  :  He,  that  is  Edom,  "  burned  the 
bones  of  the  king  of  Edom  into  lime."  The  same  may  have  beeu 
practised  in  America. 

Besides  these  relics  found  at  Marietta,  others,  equally  interest" 
ing,  have  been  procured  from  a  mound  on  the  Little  Muskingum, 
about  four  miles  from  Marietta.  There  are  some  pieces  of  copper 
which  appear  to  have  been  the  front  part  of  a  helmet.  It  was  ori- 
ginally about  eight  inches  long  and  four  broad,  and  has  marks  of 
having  been  attached  to  leather  ;  it  is  much  decayed,  and  h  now 
quite  a  thin  plate. 

The  helmet  v/as  vroru  by  the  ancients  as  a  defence  against  the 
blows  of  the  sword,  aimed  at  the  head.  The  Greeks,  the  Romans^ 
with  many  other  nations  of  antiquity,  made  use  of  this  raajestiCy 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IX   THE    WEST. 


179 


beautiful,  warlike  covering  for  the  head.  But  how  came  this  part 
of  the  ancient  armour  in  America  ?  This  is  the  mystery,  and  cannot 
be  solved,  only  on  the  principle  that  we  believe  the  wearers  lived 
in  those  ages  coeval  with  the  martial  exploits  of  the  Medes, 
Persians,  Carthagenians,  Egyticns,  Greeks,  Homans,  and  of  the  Cel- 
tic nations  of  Europe. 

In  the  same  mound  on  the  Muskingum,  was  found  a  copper  or- 
nament ;  this  was  on  the  forehead  of  a  human  skeleton,  no  part  of 
which  retained  its  form,  except  that  part  of  the  forehead  where 
the  copper  ornament  lay,  and  had  been  preserved  no  doubt  by  the 
salts  of  that  mineral.  In  Virginia,  near  Blacksb;irgh,  eighty  miles 
from  Marietta,  there  was  found  the  half  of  a  steel  bow,  which,  when 
entire,  would  measure  five  or  six  feet ;  the  other  part  was  corroded 
or  broken.  The  father  of  the  lad  who  found  the  bow  was  a  black- 
smith, and  worked  up  this  curious  article  with  as  little  remorse  as 
he  would  an  old  gun  barrel. 

In  the  18th  Psalm,  34th  A'erse,  mention  is  made  by  David,  king 
of  Israel,  of  the  steel  bow,  which  must  have  been  a  powerful  in- 
strument of  death  of  the  kind,  and  probably  well  known  to  the 
Jews,  as  superior  to  the  wooden  bow.  This  kind  of  warlike  artil- 
lery, the  bow  and  arrow,  has  been  used  by  all  nations,  and  in  all 
ages  of  time.  The  time  of  king  David  was  about  one  thousand  one 
himdred  years  before  Christ  ;  when,  he  says,  a  bow  of  steel  was 
broken  by  his  own  arm.  This  must  have  been  done  in  some  ot 
his  fights  with  the  enemies  of  Saul,  as  it  is  not  very  probable  that 
he  fought  personally  after  he  came  to  the  kingdom  ;  and  from  his 
earnestness  in  the  fight,  drew  the  string  of  his  bow  too  far,  so  that 
the  instrument  could  not  bear  it,  consequently  it  snapped  asunder ; 
which  circumstance  he  has  celebrated  in  the  praises  of  the  God  of 
Israel,  as  an  evidence  of  the  aid  and  strength  derived  from  Reaven 
in  the  heat  of  battle. 

But  Dr.  Clark  supposes  steel  is  out  of  the  question,  as  he  thinks 
the  art  of  making  steel  was  unknown  at  that  time,  and  believes  the 


180 


AMERICAN   AJTXrQUITIEi 


bow  alluded  to,  which  was  broken  by  David,  was  a  brass  one,  but 
it  is  unknown  to  the  writer  of  this  work,  whether  brass  will  spring 
at  all  so  as  to  throw  an  arrow  with  cny  efiect.  Eiit  wliy  may  not 
steel  have  been  known,  and  the  cit  of  prcdacing  it  from  iron,  in  the 
time  of  David,  as  well  as  the  a'-t  of  making  brass,  Avhich  is  equally 
hidden,  and  more  go  than  that  of  steel.  Tubal  Cain  was  a  worker 
in  brass  and  iron^  before  the  liood  ;  and  we  should  suppose  the  way 
to  procure  decl  from  iron,  would  as  soon  have  been  discovered  by 
the  antediluvian  blacksmiths,  as  a  knowledge  how  to  make  brass 
from  a  union  of  copper  end  zinc. 

The  discovery  of  this  steel  bow,  in  the  west,  is  exceedingly  cu- 
rious, aad  would  seem  to  justify  the  belief  that  it  came  from  the  old 
v/orlr(,  as  an  instrument  of  warfare  in  the  hands  of  some  of  the 
Asiali.'?,  African,  or  Eurcpccm  nations,  vossibly  Danes,  as  the 
prestiit  Indian  nations  were  found  destiiute  of  every  kind  of  bow 
and  arrow,  except  that  of  woc.l. 

"  In  Ross  county,  near  Chiilicothe,  a  few  years  since,  was  found^ 
in  the  hand  of  a  skeleton,  which  lay  buried  in  a  small  mound,  an 
ornament  of  pure  gold  ;  this  curiosity,  it  is  said,  is  now  in  the 
Museum  at  Philadelphia." — Aticuter.  The  tumuli,  in  what  is  call- 
ed the  Sciota  country,  are  bolli  numerous  and  interesting.  But 
south  of  Lake  Eri^,  until  we  enive  ut  Woithington,  nine  miles 
north  of  Columbus,  they  are  few  in  number,  and  of  comparatively 
small  magnitude.  Near  Columbus,  the  seat  of  government  of  Ohio, 
were  several  mounds,  one  of  which  stood  on  an  eminence  rn  the 
principal  street,  v/hich  has  be-  ;.  enl.ioly  removed,  and  converted 
into  bricks.  It  contained  humnr;  bones,  some  fc.  articles,  among 
which  was  an  ojc/,  carved  in  stone,  a  rude  but  very  exact  repre- 
sentation. 

The  Owlf  araorg  the  Romans,  was  the  emblem  of  wisdom, 
and  it  is  not  impossible  but  the  ancients  of  the  west,  may 
have  carved  it  in  the  stone  for  the  same  reason  *,  who  may  have 
been  in  part  Romans,  or  nations  derived  from  them,   or   n&tions 


AND   DISCOTEnins   IN   THE  WEST. 


181 


idom, 
may 
Lave 
tionB 


acquainted  with  their  manners,  their  gods,  and  their  sculpture,  as 
we  suppose  the  Danes  were. 

"  111  another  part  of  the  town  of  Cohimhus,  was  a  tumulus  of 
clay,  which  was  also  manui'uctured  into  bricks.  In  this  were  many 
human  bones  ;  but  they  lay  in  piles,  and  in  confusion,"  which 
would  beoni  to  elicit  the  belief,  that  tliese  were  the  bones  of  an 
enemy,  or  thoy  would  have  been  laid  in  their  accustomed  order. 
Or  they  may  have  been  the  bones  of  the  conquered,  thrown  to- 
gether in  a  confused  manner,  and  buried  beneath  this  mound. 

As  we  still  descend  the  Sciota,  through  a  most  fertile  region  of 
country,  mounds  and  other  ancient  works,  frequently  appear,  until 
we  arrive  at  Circleville.  Near  the  centre  of  the  circular  fort  at 
Circleville,  was  a  tumulus  of  earth,  about  ten  feet  high,  and  seve- 
ral rods  in  diameter  at  its  base.  On  its  eastern  side,  and  extending 
six  rods  from  it,  was  a  semicircular  pavement,  composed  of  pebbles, 
such  as  are  now  found  in  the  bed  of  Sciota  river,  from  whence  they 
appear  to  have  been  taken.  The  summit  of  this  tumulus  was  near- 
ly ninety  feet  in  circumference,  with  a  raised  way  to  it,  leading 
from  the  east,  like  a  modern  turnpike.  The  summit  was  level. 
The  outline  of  the  semicircular  pavement,  and  the  walk  is  still  dis- 
cernible." Mr.  Atwater  was  present  when  this  mound  was  remo- 
ved, and  carefully  examined  the  contents  it  developed.  They  were 
as  follows  :  "  First ;  two  skeletons,  lying  on  what  had  been  the 
original  surface  of  the  earth.  Second :  a  great  quantity  of  arrow 
heads,  some  of  which  were  so  largo,  as  to  induce  a  belief,  that  they 
were  used  for  spear  heads.  Tiiird ;  t'le  handle,  either  of  a  small 
sword,  or  a  large  knife,  made  of  an  elk's  horn ;  around  the  end 
where  the  blade  had  been  inserted,  was  a  ferule  cf  silver,  which, 
though  black,  was  not  much  injured  by  time ;  though  the  handle 
showed  the  hole  where  the  blade  had  been  inserted,  yet  no  iron 
was  found,  but  an  oxyde,  or  rust,  remained,  of  similar  shape  and 
size.  The  swords  of  the  ancient  nations  of  the  old  world,  it  is 
fccown,  were  very  short.     Fourth ;  charcoal,  and  wood  ashes,  oa 


ill* 


*' 


i'SM 


182 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


which  these  articles  lay,  were  surronnded  by  several  bricks,  very 
well  burnt.  The  skeleton  appeared  \o  have  been  burnt  in  a  large 
and  very  hot  fire,  which  had  almost  consumed  the  bones  of  the  de- 
cased.  This  skeleton  was  deposited  a  little  to  the  soiith  of  the 
centre  of  the  tumulus ;  and  about  twenty  feet  to  the  north  of  it  was 
another,  with  whicli  was  found  a  large  mirror,  about  three  feet  in 
length,  one  foot  and  a  half  in  width,  and  one  inch  and  a  half  in 
thickness;  this  was  of  isinglass  (mica  membranacea.) 

On  this  mirror  was  a  plate  of  iron,  which  had  become  an  oxyde; 
but  before  it  was  disturbed  by  the  spade,  resembled  a  plate  of  cast 
iron.  The  mirror  answered  the  purpose  very  well,  for  which  it 
was  intended.  This  skeleton  had  also  been  burned  like  the  former, 
and  lay  on  charcoal  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  wood  ashes ;  a 
part  of  the  mirror  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Atwater,  as  also  a 
piece  of  brick,  taken  from  the  spot  at  the  time.  The  knife,  or 
sword  handle,  was  sent  to  Peale's  museum,  Philadelphia.  To  the 
south-west  of  this  tumulus,  about  forty  rods  from  it,  is  another,  more 
than  ninety  feet  in  height.  It  stands  on  a  large  hill,  which  appears 
to  be  artificial.  This  must  have  been  the  common  cemetry,  as  it 
contains  an  immense  number  of  human  skeletons,  of  all  sizes  and 
ages.  These  skeletons  are  laid  horizontally,  with  their  heads  gen- 
erally towards  the  centre,  and  the  feet  towards  the  outside  of  the 
tumulus.  In  it  have  been  found,  besides  these  skeletons,  stone 
axes  and  stone  knives,  and  several  ornaments  with  holes  through 
them^  by  means  of  which,  with  a  cord  passing  through  these  perfo- 
rations, they  could  be  worn  by  th(Mr  owners. 

On  the  south  side  of  this  tumulus,  and  not  far  from  it,  was  a  se- 
micircular fosse,  or  ditch,  six  feet  deep  ;  which,  whei^  examined  at 
the  bottom,  was  found  to  contain  a  great  quantity  of  human  bones, 
which,  it  is  believed,  were  the  remains  of  those  who  had  been  slain 
in  some  great  and  destructive  battle  ;  because  they  belonged  to  per- 
sons invariably,  who  had  attained  their  full  size  ;  while  those  found 
in  the  mound  adjoining,  were  of  all  sizes,  great  and  small,  but  laid 


-^ 


AND   dlSCOVUKlES    l^i   TIIK  >VLST. 


183 


a  se- 
led  at 
ones, 

slain 


in  good  order,  while  those  in  the  ditch,  were  iii  the  utmost  confu- 
sion ;  and  were,  no  doubt,  the  conquered  invaders,  buried  thus  in- 
gloriously,  where  they  had  entrenched  themselves,  and  fall  in  the 
struggle. 

The  mirror  was  a  monstrous  piece  of  isinglass,  a  lu-*id  mineral, 
larger  than  we  recollect  to  have  ever  heard  of  before,  and  used 
among  the  rich  of  the  ancients,  for  lights  and  mirrors.  A  mirror  of 
any  kind,  in  which  men  may  be  enabled  to  contemplate  their  own 
form,  is  evidence  of  a  considerable  degree  of  advancement  in  the 
arts,  if  not  even  of  luxury  itself. 

The  Rev.  Robert  G.  WilsoTi,  D.  D.  of  Chilicothe,  furnished  the 
Antiquarian  Society  with  information  concerning  the  mound,  which 
once  stood  near  the  centre  of  that  town.  He  took  pains  to  write 
down  its  contents  at  the  time  of  its  demolition.  Its  perpendicu- 
lar height  was  about  fifteen  feet,  and  the  circumference  of  its  base 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  composed  of  sand.  It  was  not 
till  this  pile  of  earth  had  been  removed,  that  the  original  design  of 
its  builders  could  be  discovered.  On  a  common  level  with  the  sur- 
rounding earth,  at  the  very  bottom  of  this  mound  they  had  devoted 
about  twenty  feet  square ;  this  was  found  to  have  been  covered  at 
first,  with  bark,  on  which  lay,  in  the  centre,  a  human  skeleton, 
overspread  with  a  mat,  manufactured  from  weeds  or  bark,  but  great- 
ly decayed. 

On  the  breast  of  this  person  lay,  what  had  been  apiece  of  copper, 
in  the  form  of  a  cross,  which  had  become  verdigris ;  on  the  breast 
also  lay  a  stone  ornament,  three  inches  in  length,  and  two  and  a 
half  in  width,  with  two  perforations,  one  near  each  end,  through 
which  passed  a  string,  by  means  of  which  it  was  suspended  from 
the  wearer's  neck.  On  this  string,  which  appeared  to  have  beea 
made  of  the  sinews  of  some  animal,  which  had  been  cured  or  tan- 
ned, but  were  very  much  injured  by  time,  was  strung  a  great  ma- 
ny beads  made  of  irorjr-or  bone,  he  could  not  tell  which. 


,.♦1 


1 


m* 


AMERICi^^    ANTItiUITIES 


wm 

If 

ji-  'if 

i 

i. 

1. 

I  ■*■ 

•u 

si' 


1 


With  these  facts  before  us,  we  are  left  to  conjecture  at  what 
time  this  individual  lived,  what  were  his  heroic  deeds  in  the  fieU 
of  battle  ;  his  wisdom,  his  virtues,  hi^  eloquence  in  the  councils  of 
his  nation  ;  for  his  ( oteniporaries  Imve  testilkd  in  a  manner  not  to 
be  mistaken,  that  among  them  he  was  held  in  honourable  and  grate- 
ful remembrance,  by  the  mound  ^^  hich  was  raised  over  him  at  his 
decease. 

The  cross  on  the  brc  ,i  of  this  skeleton,  excites  the  most  surprise, 
as  that  the  cross  is  the  emblem  of  the  Christian  religion.  It  is  true, 
a  knowledge  of  this  badge  of  Christianity,  may  have  been  dissemi- 
nated from  Jerusalem,  fven  as  far  east  as  to  China ;  as  we  know  it 
was  at  a  very  early  periud,  made  known  in  many  countries  of  Eu- 
rope, Africa,  and  Asia  ;  especially,  at  the  era  when  the  Roman  em- 
peror Conslantiiie,  in  the  year  331,  ordered  all  the  heathen  temples 
to  be  destroyed,  for  the  sake  of  Christianity,  thioughout  his  vast 
dominion. 

The  reader  may  recoHrctj  w(  have  elicittd  an  argument,  from 
the  ixge  of  the  timber,  <jr  fores;  ices,  growing  on  the  mound,  at 
Marietta,  proposiris;^  to  taow  the  probable  era  waen  the  country  be- 
came depopulated  ;  and  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  at  least,  about 
thineen  hundred  years  have  passed  away  since  that  catastrophe. 

This  would  give  about  five  hundred  years  from  Christ  till  the  de- 
population of  the  ancient  western  couvtry  ;  so  that,  during  the  lapse 
of  those  fiv.^  centuries,  a  knowledge  of  what  had  been  propagated 
at  Jerusalem  about  Christ,  may  have  been,  easily  enough  by  mis- 
sionaries, travelling  f>hilosophers  of  the  Romans,  Greeks,  or  of  other 
nations,  carried  as  well  to  China,  as  to  other  distant  countries,  as 
we  know  was  the  fact. 

Th3  string  of  beads,  and  the  stone  on  h;^  breast,  vvhich  we  take 
the  liberty  of  calling  tha  Shalcjramu  stone,  or  the  stone  in  which 
the  Hindoos  suppose  the  god  Vishuoo  resides ;  together  with  the 
copper  cross  on  his  breast,  and  beads  on  his  neck,  is  a  circumstance, 
which  strongly  argues  that  a  mixture  of  Brahminism  and  Christian- 


AND    DISCOVF.RIES    IN    THE    WEST. 


185 


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ity  were  embriicud  by  this  individual.  To  prove  tliat  the  wearing 
of  beads  around  the  neck,  or  on  the  arm,  for  tiie  purposes  of  devo- 
tion, is  areli^i'ius  Hindoo  custom,  wc  refer  to  Ward's  late  history 
of  those  nations,  wlio  was  a  Baptist  missionary,  am  )ng  tliat  people, 
and  died  in  that  country.  Thia  autiior  says,  page  40,  that  Drumha^ 
the  grandfather  of  the  gods,  holds  in  hii  hand,  a  string  of  beads, 
as  evidence  of  his  devotion  or  goodness.  Uivjcc,  the  regent  of  fire, 
is  represented  \vith  a  bead  roll  in  his  hand,  to  show  that  h'  ii  mer- 
ciful or  propitious,  to  those  who  call  upon  him. — page  45 

The  Hindoo  mendicants,  or  saints,  as  they  suppDSf  themselves, 
have  invariably,  a  string  of  beads,  made  of  bone,  teeth  of  animals, 
ivory,  stones,  or  the  seeds  of  plants,  or  of  something,  hanging 
about  their  necks,  or  on  their  arms,  which  they  recount,  calling  over 
and  over,  without  end,  the  name  of  the  god,  as  evidence  of  devo- 
tion to  him. — page  422. 

The  devotions  of  the  asct'tic  disciples  among  the  Hindoos,  con- 
sists in  repeating  incessantly  the  name  of  their  god,  using,  at  the 
same  time,  the  bead  roll,  (or  rosary,  as  the  catholics  do. — page  427. 
"  Strings  of  beads  were  used  for  this  purpose,  from  remotest  anti- 
quity, in  all  eastern  Asia.'' — Hnmboldl,  page  204. 

This  author  further  says,  "  the  rosarie^'"  which  is  a  string  of  beads, 
"  have  been  in  use  in  Thibet  and  China,  from  time  immemorial ; 
and  that  the  custom  passed  from  the  east,  viz.  China,  to  the  Chris- 
tians in  the  west,  viz.  Europe  ;"  and  are  found  among  the  cathoUcs ; 
no  other  sect  of  Christians,  that  we  know  of,  have  borrowed  any 
trappings  from  the  pagans,  to  aid  in  their  devotions,  but  this 

The  stone  found  on  his  breast,  as  before  remarked,  we  assume  to 
call  the  Shalgramu  stone.  See  also,  Ward's  account  of  this  stone, 
page  41  and  44. 

A  stone  called  the  Slialgramu  is  a  form  of  the  god  Vishnoo,  and 
is  in  another  case,  the  representative  of  the  god,  Saoryu,  or  the 
sun — page  52,  The  Shalgramu,  or  Lingu,  is  a  black  stone,  found 

in  a  part  of  the  Gundeekee  river.     They  are  mostly  perforated,  in 

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186 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


one  or  more  places,  by  worms,  while  at  the  bottom  of  the  river;  but 
the  Hindoos  believe,  the  god  Yishno'^,  in  the  shape  of  a  reptile, 
resides  in  this  stone,  and  caused  the  holes. 

With  this  belief,  how  very  natural  it  would  be  to  wear  on  the 
breast,  either  in  view  or  concealed,  this  stone,  as  an  amulet,  ot 
charm,  as  found  on  the  breast  of  this  skeleton,  in  union  with  the  cross. 

We  are  inclined  to  believe,  that  the  Roman  catholic  heresy,  bor- 
rowed, at  a  very  early  pciiod,  after  their  peculiar  formation,  and 
corruption,  subsequent  to  th:  time  of  Constantino,  the  notion  of 
the  rosary,  or  bead  roll,  which  they  recount  while  saying  prayers, 
from  the  Hindoos;  and  that  from  Chiiitian  missionaries,  the  Hin- 
doo Bramhins  borrowed  the  idea  of  the  crooj,  which  they  might 
also  wear,  together  with  the  Lingu  stone,  as  an  amulet  or  charm. 
For  we  see  on  the  breast  of  this  person,  both  the  emblem  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  of  the  Hindoos'  superiilition,  on  v.hich  account,  we  are 
of  the  opinion,  that  the  ministers  of  the  TSrandiiu  rcliirion,  lie  buried 
beneath  many  of  the  western  mounds. 

Mr.  W^ard  informs  us,  page  272,  that  near  the  town  of  Dravina, 
in  Hondostan-hu,  are  shown  to  this  day,  or  at  the  time  he  lived  in 
India,  four  small  elevations,  or  mounds,  from  the  top  of  which,  the 
great  ascetic  philosopher,  Shunkuracharyu,  used  to  teach  and  ha- 
rangue the  people  and  his  disciples.  From  this  circumstance,  we 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  oniloiial  use  of  the  mounds  in  the  east; 
and  why  not  the  same  use  be  derived  from  them  to  the  ancient  peo- 
ple of  the  wtsl ;  and  more  especially  so,  if  they  may  be  believed 
to  have,  in  any  measure,  derived  themselves,  from  any  nations  of 
the  Chinese  world. 


AND    DISCOVERlt!.'   IN    THE  >VE«T. 


187 


GREAT  WORKS  ON  THE  NORTH  FORK  OF  PAINT  CREEK. 

-'  On  ths  north  branch  of  this  creek,  five  miles  from  Chilicothe, 
are  works  so  immense,  that  although  wc  have  given  the  reader  se- 
veral accounts  of  this  kind,  yet  we  cannot  well  pass  over  these. 

They  are  situated  on  an  elevated  piece  of  land,  called  the  se- 
cond bottom.  The  first  bottom,  or  flat,  extends  from  Paint  Creek, 
till  it  is  met  by  a  bank  of  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  which  runs 
in  a  straight  line,  and  parallel  with  the  stream.  An  hundred  rods 
from  the  top  of  this  first  bank,  is  another  bank,  of  thirty  feet  ia 
height,  the  wall  of  the  works  runs  up  this  bank,  and  twenty  rods 
beyond  it.  The  whole  land  enclosed,  is  six  hundred  and  twenty 
rods  in  circumference,  and  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
acres  of  land. 

This  second  bank,  runs  alsa  parallel  with  the  creek,  and  with 
the  first.  On  this  beautiful  elevation,  is  situated  this  immense 
work,  containing  within  it,  seveateen  mounds  of  different  sizes. 
Three  hundred  and  eighty  rods  of  this  fort  is  encompassed  with  a 
wall  twelve  feet  hi'^h,  a  ditch  twenty  fe^t  wide,  and  the  wall,  the 
same  at  its  base.  Two  hundred  and  forty  rods,  running  along  on 
the  top  of  the  first  bank,  is  ths  rest  of  the  wall ;  but  is  without  a 
ditch ;  this  is  next  to  the  river  or  creek,  between  which  and  the 
water,  is  the  first  bottom  or  flat.  Within  this  great  enclosure,  is  a 
circular  work  of  an  hundred  rods  in  circumference,  with  a  wall 
and  ditch  surrounding  it,  of  the  same  height  of  the  other  wall. 
Within  this  great  circle,  are  six  mounds,  of  the  circular  form  ;  these 
are  full  of  human  bones  ;  the  rest  of  the  mounds,  eleven  in  num- 
ber, are  for  some  other  purpose.  There  are  seven  gateways,  of 
about  five  rods  in  width,  each.  "  Ths  immense  labour,  and  nume- 
rous cemeteries,  filled  with  human  bones  denote  a  vast  population, 
nearthisspat,  in  ancient  times." — Afwater.  .   ■   . 


188 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


"  Tumuli  are  very  common  on  the  river  Ohio,  from  its  utmost 
sources  to  its  mouth,  although  on  the  Monongahela,  they  are  few, 
and  comparatively  small,  but  increase  in  number  and  size,  as  we 
descend  towards  the  mouth  of  that  stream  at  Pittsburgh,  where  the 
Ohio  begins ;  after  this  they  are  still  more  numerous,  and  of  great- 
er dimensions,  till  we  arrive  at  Grave  Creek,  below  Wheeling. 

At  this  place,  situated  between  two  creeks,  .vhich  run  into  the 
Ohio,  a  little  way  from  the  river,  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
and  august  monuments  of  antiquity.  Its  circumference  at  its  base, 
is  fifty-six  rods,  its  perpendicular  height  ninety  feet,  its  top  seven 
rods  and  eight  feet  in  circumference.  The  centre  at  the  summit, 
appears  to  have  sunk  several  feet,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  amphi- 
theatre. The  rim  enclosing  this  concavity  is  seven  or  eight  feet 
in  thickness ;  on  the  south  side,  in  the  edge  of  this  rim,  stands  a 
large  beach  tree,  the  bark  of  which  is  marked  with  the  initials  of  a 
great  number  of  visitanta." 

This  lofty  and  venerable  tumulus  has  been  so  far  opened,  as  to 
ascertain  that  it  contains  many  thousands  of  human  skeletons,  but 
no  farther ;  the  proprietor,  PJr.  Tomlinson,  will  not  suffer  its  demo- 
lition, in  the  smallest  degree,  for  which  he  is  highly  praise  worthy. 

"  Following  the  river  Ohio  downwards,  the  mounds  appear  on 
both  sides,  erected  uniformly,  on  the  highest  alluvials  along  that 
stream,  increasing  in  numbers  all  the  way  to  the  Mississippi,  on 
which  river  they  assume  the  largest  size. 

Not  having  surveyed  them,  says  Mr.  Atwater,  we  shall  use  the 
description  of  Mr.  Backenridge,  who  travelled  much  in  the  west, 
and  among  the  Indians,  and  devoted  much  attention  to  the  subject 
of  these  astonishing  western  antiquities. 

"  These  tumuli,  says  Mr.  Backenridge,  as  well  as  the  fortifica- 
tions, are  to  be  found  at  the  junction  of  all  the  rivers,  along  the 
Mississippi,  in  the  most  eligible  positions  for  towns,  and  in  the  most 
extensive  bodies  of  fertile  land-  Their  number  exceeds,  perhaps, 
three  thousand ;  the  smallest  not  less  than  twenty  feet  in  height^ 


% 


JJ«* 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST 


189 


and  three  hundred  in  circumference  at  the  base.  Their  great  num- 
ber, and  the  amazing  size  of  some  of  them,  may  be  regarded  as  fur- 
nishing, with  other  circumstances,  evidence  of  their  antiquity. 

I  have  been  sometimes  induced  to  think,  that  at  the  period  when 
these  were  constructed,  there  was  a  population  as  numerous  as  that 
which  once  animated  the  borders  of  the  Nile,  or  of  the  Euphrates, 
or  of  Mexico.  The  most  numerous,  as  well  as  the  most  considera- 
ble of  these  remains,  are  found  precisely  in  those  parts  of  the  coun- 
try where  the  traces  of  a  numerous  population  might  be  looked  for, 
namely,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
to  the  Illinois,  and  on  the  west  side,  from  the  St.  Francis  to  the 
Missouri.  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  cities,  similar  to  those  of 
ancient  Mexico,  of  several  hundred  thousand  souls,  have  existed  in 
this  western  country." — Breckenridge,  as  quoted  by  Atwater. 

From  this  view,  we  are  compelled  to  look  upon  those  nations  as 
ngriculturists,  or  they  could  not  have  subsisted  ;  neither  wild  game 
nor  fishes  could  possibly  support  so  great  a  population.  If  agricul- 
turists, then  it  must  follow,  of  necessity,  that  many  modes  of 
building  as  with  stone,  timber,  earth  or  clay,  were  practised  and 
known,  as  well  as  methods  of  clearing  the  earth  of  heavy  timber. 
And  if  they  had  not  a  knowledge  of  metals,  we  cannot  well  con- 
ceive how  they  could  have  removed  the  forests  for  the  purposes  of 
husbandry,  and  space  for  building.  But  if  we  suppose  they  did 
not  build  houses  with  wood,  stone  and  brick,  but  lived  in  tents  or 
some  fragile  hut,  yet  the  use  of  metals  cannot  be  dispensed  with, 
on  account  of  the  forests  to  be  removed  for  agricultural  pui  poses. 
Baron  Humboldt  informs  us,  in  his  Researches  in  South  America, 
that  when  he  crossed  the  Cordillera  mountains,  by  the  way  of  Pa- 
nama and  Assuav,  and  viewed  the  enormous  masses  of  stone  cut 
from  the  porphyry  quarries  of  Pullal,  which  was  employed  in  con- 
structing the  ancient  highroads  of  the  Incas,  that  he  began  to 
doubt  whether  the  Peruvians  were  not  acquainted  with  other  tools 
than  hatchets  made  of  flint  and  stone  \  and  tliat  grinding  one  stone 


190 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


m  * 


on  another  to  make  tliem  smooth  and  level,  >vas  not  the  only  me- 
thod they  had  employed  in  this  operation.  On  which  account  he 
adopted  a  new  opinion,  contrary  to  those  generally  received.  He 
conjectured  that  they  must  have  had  tools  made  of  copper,  harden- 
ed with  tin,  .such  as  it  is  known  the  early  nations  of  Asia  made  use 
of.  This  conjecture  was  fully  proved  by  the  discovery  of  an  an- 
cient Peruvian  mining  chisel,  in  a  silver  mine  at  Vilcabaraba,  which 
had  been  worked  in  the  time  of  the  Tncas,  This  instrument  of  cop- 
per wns  twelve  centimeters  long  and  two  broad,  or  in  English  mea- 
sure, four  inches  long,  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch  wide  ;  which 
he  carried  with  him  to  Europe,  where  he  had  it  analyzed,  and 
found  it  to  contain  ninety  four  parts  of  copper  and  six  of  tin.  He 
says  that  this  keen  copper  of  the  Peruvians  is  almost  identically 
the  same  with  that  of  the  ancient  Galic  axe,  which  cut  wood  nearly 
as  well  as  if  made  of  iron  and  steel. 

Every  where,  on  the  old  continent,  at  the  beginning  of  the  civil- 
ization of  nations,  the  use  of  copper,  mixed  with  tin,  prevailed  over 
that  of  iron,  even  in  places  where  the  latter  had  been  for  a  long 
time  known.  Antonio  de  Herera,  in  the  tenth  Book  of  his  History 
of  the  West  Indies,  says,  expressly,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
maritime  coast  of  Zoci.tallan,  in  South  America,  prepared  two  sorts 
of  copper,  of  which  one  was  hard  and  cutting,  and  the  other  malea- 
ble  ;  the  hard  copper  was  to  make  hatchets,  weapons,  and  instru- 
ments of  agriculture  with,  and  that  it  Avas  tempered  with  tin. — 
Humboldt,  Vol,  li,pucjes  2G0— 2G8. 


TRAITS  OF  ANCIENT  CITIES  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

Nearlv  opposite  St.  Louis,  there  are  the  traces  of  two  ancient 
cities,  in  the  distance  of  a  few  miles,  situated  on  the  Cohokia  creek, 
which  empties  into  the  Mississippi,  but  a  short  distance  below  that 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   THE  WEST. 


191 


place.  Here  is  situated  one  of  those  Pyramids,  which  is  an  hun- 
dred and  fifty  rods  in  ciroumferonce  at  its  base,  (nearly  an  half 
mile,)  and  one  hiindrod  ft'ot  hiqh.  At  St.  Louis  is  one  with  two 
stages  or  landing  places,  ps  tlio  architectural  ])hrase  is.  There  is 
another  with  three  stages,  at  the  mouth  of  the  ^tlissouii,  a  few  miles 
above  St.  Louis.  With  respect  to  the  stages,  or  landing  places,  of 
these  pyramids,  we  are  reminded  of  the  tower  once  standing  in  old 
Babylon,  •which  had  eiglit  stages  from  it:j  base  to  the  summit,  mak- 
ing it  six  hundred  feet  higli. 

At  the  mouth  of  Cahokiuh  creek,  a  short  distance  below  St. 
Louis,  are  two  groups  of  those  niouiidij,  of  smaller  size,  but  wo  are 
not  informedof  their  exact  number.  At  Bayeau  Manchac  and  Baton 
Rouge,  are  several  mounds,  one  of  which  is  composed  chiefly  of 
shells,  which  the  inhabitants  burn  into  lime.  There  is  a  mound 
on  Black  river,  which  1ms  two  stnr;;'s  or  stories  ;  this  is  sunouuded 
with  a  group  of  lesser  ones,  as  well  as  those  at  iJayeau  Mai.'ihac, 
and  Baton  Rouge.  There  is  one  of  those  Pyramids  near  Washing- 
ton, in  the  stele  of  Mississippi,  which  is  one  hundred  and  forty-six 
feet  high  ;  which  is  but  little  short  of  nine  rods  perpendicular  ele- 
vation, and  fifty-six  rods  in  ciroiunference.  JMr.  Breckenridge  is 
of  the  opinion  that  the  laigf  st  ciiy,  belonging  to  this  people,  the 
authors  of  the  mounds  and  other  works,  was  situated  on  the  plains 
between  St,  Francis  and  the  Arkansas.  There  is  no  doubt  but  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  St.  Louis  must  have  been  cities  or  large  town.<» 
of  these  ancient  people  ;  as  the  number  and  size  of  the  mounds 
above  recounted,  would  most  certainly  justify. 

Fifteen  mllos  in  a  southv/esterly  direction  from  the  town  of  St. 
Louis,  on  the  Merimac  river,  was  discovered,  by  a  Mr.  Long,  on 
lands  which  he  had  purchased  tliere,  several  mounds  of  the  ordina- 
ry size,  as  found  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  all  of  which  go  to 
establish  that  this  coun)ry,  lying  i)etween  the  Missouri  and  the 
Mississippi  rivers,  below  St.  liOuis,  and  between  the  junction  of 
the  Illinois  with  the  Mississippi  above,  \vith  the  whole  region  about 


it 
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I  i 


192  AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 

the  union  of  those  rivers  with   each  other, — which  are    all  not 
far  from  St.  Louis — was  once  the  seat  of  empire  ;  equal,  if  not  sur 
passing  the  population  and  the  arts,  as  once  they  flourished  on  the 
plains  of  Shinar,  the  seat  of  Chaldean  power,  and  on  the  banks  of 
the  Euphrates. 

It  was  on  the  lands  of  this  gentleman,  Mr.  Long,  that  the  disco- 
very of  a  burying  ground,  containing  a  vast  number  of  small  tumu< 
li,  or  graves,  took  place.  On  opening  these  graves,  there  were 
found  deposited,  in  stone  coffins,  composed  of  stone  slabs,  six  in 
number,  forming  the  bottom,  sides  and  top,  with  end  pieces  ;  the 
skeletons  of  a  race  of  human  beings  apparently  of  but  from  three  to 
foor  feet  in  height.  This  discovery  excited  much  surprise,  and  call- 
ed forth,  from  several  pens,  the  conjectures  of  able  men,  who  pub- 
lished a  variety  of  opinions  respecting  them.  Some  imagined  them 
to  be  the  relics  of  a  race  of  pigmy  inhabitants  who  had  become  ex- 
tinct. Others,  on  account  of  the  size  of  the  teeth,  which  denoted 
full  grown  and  adult  persons,  conjectured  them  to  be  the  skeletons 
of  a  race  of  baboons  or  monkeys,  from  the  shortness  of  their  stature. 
From  this  opinion,  arose  another  conjecture,  that  they  had  been  the 
objects  of  worship  to  the  ancient  nations,  as  they  had  been  some- 
times among  the  earlier  Egyptains. 

The  bones  of  these  subjects  were  entirely  destroyed,  and  reduc- 
ed to  ashes  of  a  white  chalky  consistency,  except  the  teeth,  which 
were  perfect,  being  made  secure  and  imperishable  from  their  en- 
amel. Many  of  these  graves  were  opened,  and  the  inmates  found 
not  to  exceed  three  and  four  feet.  At  length  one  was  opened  and 
the  skeleton  it  contained  appeared  to  be  of  the  full  size  cf  a  large 
man,  except  its  length  ;  this,  however,  on  close  inspection  was 
found  to  have  had  it  legs  disjointed  at  the  knees,  and  "placed  along 
side  the  thigh  bones,  which  at  once,  in  the  eyes  of  some,  accounted 
for  the  statures  of  the  whole. 

Such  a  custom  is,  indeed,  singular  ;  and  among  all  the  discove- 
ries of  those  ancient  traits,  nothing  to  compare  with  this  has  come 


Si!  ^ 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST- 


193 


to  light-  Respecting  this  instance  of  short  skeletons,  it  has  been 
also  urged  that  as  certain  tribes  of  the  common  Indians,  now  inha> 
biting  the  upper  shores  of  the  Missouri,  place  their  dead  on  scaffolds 
and  in  baskets,  fastened  to  the  limbs  of  trees,  till  their  flesh  be- 
comes separated  from  the  bones,  that  the  authors  of  these  short 
graves  did  the  same.  And  that  when  by  this  process,  they  bad 
become  fair  and  white,  they  deposited  them  in  small  coffins,  as  dis- 
covered on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Long.  But  although  this  is,  doubt- 
less, true  respecting  the  Missouri  Indians,  yet  we  have  no  account 
of  short  graves  having  been  found  among  them.  But  as  we  are 
unable  to  cast  light  on  this  discovery,  we  shtdl  leave  it  as  we  found 
it — a  great  curiosity. 


TRADITION  OF  THE  MEXICAN  NATIVES   RKSSECTING  THEIR 
MIGRATION  FROM  THIS  NORTH.^ 


scove- 
come 


In  corroboration  of  JMr.  Atwater's  opinion,  with  respect  to  the 
gradual  remove  of  the  ancient  people  of  the  west  toward  Mf  s;- 
icoy  we  subjoin  what  we  have  gathered  from  the  Researches  vl 
Baron  Humboldt,  on  that  point.  Sej  Helen  Maria  William's  trans- 
lation of  Humboldt's  Researches  in  South  America,  Vol.  2,  p.  67- 
From  which  it  appears  the  people  inhabiting  the  vale  of  Mexico,  at 
the  time  the  Spaniard's  overrun  that  country,  were  called  Aztecks, 
or  Aztekas  ;  and  they  were,  as  the  Spanish  history  informs  us, 
usurpers,  having  come  from  the  north,  from  a  country  which  they 
called  Aztalan. 

This  country  of  Aztalan,  Baron  Humboldt  says,  "  we  must  look 

for  at  least  north  of  the  42d  degree  of  latitude."     He  comes  to  this 

conclusion  from  an  examination  of  the  Mexican  or  Azteca  manu* 

scripts,  which  were  made  of  a  certain  kind  of  leaves,  and  of  skins 

prepared  ;  on  which  an  account,  in  painted  hieroglyphics  or  pic- 

25 


194 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


■■f-l 


tures,  UQS  given  of  their  migration  from  Aztalan  to  Mexico,  and 
how  long  they  baited  at  certain  places,  which,  in  the  aggregate, 
amounts  to  "  four  hundred  and  sixteen  years." 

The  following  names  of  placna  appear  on  their  account  of  their 
journeyings,  at  which  places  they  made  less  or  more  delay,  and 
built  towns,  forts,  tumuli,  £cc. 

Ist.  A  place  of  Humtliation,  and  a  place  of  Grottoes.  It  would 
seem  at  this  place  they  were  much  afflicted  and  humbled  ;  but  in 
what  manner  is  not  related  ;  and  also  at  this  place,  from  the  term 
grottoes,  that  it  was  a  place  of  cavern?  and  dens,  probably  where 
they  at  first  hid,  or  dwelt,  till  they  built  a  town,  and  cleared  the 
ground.  Here  they  built  the  places  which  they  called  Tocalco 
and  Oztatan. 

2d.  Journey,  they  stopped  at  a  place  of  fruit  trees  ;  probably 
meaning,  as  it  was  farther  south,  a  place  where  nature  was  abun- 
dant in  nuts,  grapes,  and  wild  fruit  trees.  Here  they  built  a  mound 
or  tumuli,  and,  in  their  language,  it  is  called  a  Teocali. 

3d  Journey  ;  when  they  stopped  at  a  place  of  herbs,  with  broad 
leaves  ;  probably  meaning  a  place  where  many  succulent  plants 
grew,  denoting  a  good  soil ;  which  invited  them  to  pitch  their  tents 
here. 

■  4th  Journey  ;  when  they  came  to  a  place  of  human  bones ;  where 
they,  either  during  their  stay  had  battles  with  each  other,  or  with 
some  enemy,  or  they  may  have  found  them  already  there,  the  re- 
lics of  other  nations  before  them  ;  for,  according  to  Humboldt,  this 
migration  of  the  Aztecas,  took  place  A.  D.  778  ;  so  that  other  na- 
tions certainly  had  preceded  them,  also  from  the  north. 

5th  Journey  ;  they  came  to  a  place  of  Eagles. 

6th  Journey  ;  to  a  place  of  precious  stones,  and  minerals. 

7th  Journey  ;  to  a  place  of  spinning,  where  they  manufactured 
clothing  of  cotton  barks,  or  of  something  proper  for  clothing  of  some 
sort,  and  mats  of  rushes  and  feathers. 


AND  DISCOVERIES   I.^   THE   WEST. 


105 


8th  Journey  ;  they  came  to  auother  nlace  of  eagles,  called  the 
Eeagle-mountain,  or,  in  their  own  language,  Quauhtli  Tepee  :  Tt' 
pec,  says  Humboldt,  in  the  Turkish  language,  is  the  word  for  moun- 
tain ;  which  two  words  are  so  near  alike,  tepee  and  tepe,  that  it 
would  seem  almost  an  Arab  word,  or  a  word  used  by  the  Turks. 

9th  Journey  ;  when  they  came  to  a  place  of  walls,  and  the  se- 
ven grottoes  ;  which  shows  the  place  had  been  inhabited  before, 
and  these  seven  grottoes  were  either  caves  in  the  earth,  or  were 
made  in  the  side  of  some  mountain,  by  those  who  had  preceded 
them. 

10th  Journey  ;  when  they  came  to  a  place  of  thistles,  sand,  and' 
vultures. 

11th  Journey  ;  when  they  came  to  a  place  of  Obsideon  MnoTty 
which  is  much  the  same  with  that  of  Isinglass,  scientifically  called 
micae  membranacae.  This  mineral  substance  is  frequently  found 
in  the  tumuli  of  the  west,  and  is  called,  by  the  Mexicans,  the  «Atn> 
ing  god.  The  obsideon  stone,  however,  needs  polishing,  before  it 
will  answer  as  a  mirror. 

12th  Journey  ;  came  to  a  place  of  water,  probably  some  /oAe,  or 
beautiful  fountains,  which  invited  their  residence  there  ;  on  the  ac- 
count not  only  of  the  water,  but  lor  fishing  and  game. 

13tb  Jouniey  ;  they  came  to  the  place  of  the  Divine  Monkey^ 
called,  in  their  own  language,  Teozomoco.  Here,  it  would  seem, 
they  set  up  the  worship  of  the  monkey,  or  baboon,  as  the  ancient 
Egyptians  are  known  to  have  done.  This  animal  is  found  in  Mez« 
ico  or  New-Spain,  according  to  Humboldt. 

14fh  Journey ;  when  they  came  to  a  high  mountain,  probably' 
with  table  lands  on  it ;  which  they  colled  Chopaltepec,  or  mountaiD 
of  locusts.  A  place,  says  Baron  Humboldt,  celebrated  for  the  mag- 
nificent view  from  the  top  of  this  hill  ;  which,  it  appears,  is  in  the 
Mexican  country,  and  probably  not  £ar  from  the  vale  of  Mexico  ; 
where  they  finally  permanently  rested.  v. 


196 


AMCRICAM    ANTIQVITIBf 


III! 


r 


15tb  Journey  ;  when  (liey  catue  to  the  vale  of  Mexico  ;  having 
here  met  with  the  prodigy,  or  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy,  or  oracle, 
which  at  their  outset  from  the  country  of  Aztalan,  Iluehuetlapallan, 
and  Amaquemecan  ;  which  was  (sec  Humholdt,  2d  vol.  p.  185,) 
that  the  migrations  of  the  Aztecku  should  not  terminate  till  the 
chiefs  of  the  nation  should  meet  with  an  Eayle^  perched  on  a  cactus 
tree  ;  at  such  a  place  they  might  found  a  city.  This  was,  as  their 
bull-hide  books  inform  us,  in  the  vale  of  Mexico. 

We  have  related  this  account  of  the  Azteca  migration  from  the 
country  of  Aztalan,  Huehuetlapallan,  and  Amaquemecan,  from  the 
regions  of  north  latitude  42  degrees,  merely  to  show  that  the  coun- 
try, provinces,  or  districts,  so  named  in  their  books,  must  have  been 
the  country  of  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois,  with  the  whole  region 
thereabout ;  for  these  are  not  far  from  the  very  latitude  named  by 
Humboldt  as  the  region  of  Aztalan,  &c. 

This  account,  derived  from  the  Mexicans  since  their  reduction 
by  the  Spaniards.,  gathered  from  the  researches  of  learned  travel- 
lers, who  have,  for  the  very  purpose  of  learning  the  origin  of  the 
people  of  this  country,  penetrated  not  only  into  the  forest  retreats 
in  the  woods  of  Mexico,  but  into  the  mysteries  of  their  hard  lan- 
guage, their  theology,  philosophy,  and  astronomy.  This  account  of 
their  migration,  as  related  above,  is  corroborated  by  the  tradition  of 
the  Wyandot  Indians. 

We  come  to  a  knowledge  of  this  tradition,  by  the  means  of  a 
Mr.  William  Walker,  some  time  Indian  agent  for  our  government ; 
who,  it  seems,  from  a  damphlet  published,  1823,  by  Frederic  Fal- 
ley,  of  Sandusky,  giving  Mr.  Vv'^alker's  account  that  a  great  many 
hundred  years  ago  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  America,  who  were 
the  authors  of  the  great  works  of  the  west,  were  driven  away  from 
their  country  and  possessions,  by  barbarous  and  savage  hordes  of 
warriors,  who  came  from  the  north  and  northwest  ;  before  whose 
power  and  skill  in  war,  they  were  compelled  to  flee,  and  went  ta 
the  south. 


4ND   DISC0VRRIF.9    Iff   THE  WEST. 


197 


After  having  been  there  many  hundred  years,  a  runner  came 
back  into  the  same  country,  from  whence  these  ancient  people  had 
been  driven,  which  we  suppose  is  the  very  country  of  Aztalan,  or 
the  region  of  the  western  states ;  bringing  the  intelligence  that  a 
dreadful  beast  had  landed  on  their  coast  along  the  sea,  which  was 
spreading  among  them  havoc  and  death,  by  means  of  fire  and  thun- 
der ;  and  that  it  would,  no  doubt,  travel  all  over  the  country,  for 
the  same  purpose  of  destruction. 

This  beast  whose  voice  was  like  thunder,  and  whose  power  to 
kill,  was  like  fire,  we  have  no  doubt,  represents  the  cannon  and 
small  arms  of  the  Spaniards,  when  they  first  commenced  the  mur- 
der of  the  ancient  people  of  South  America,  many  tribes  or  nations 
of  which  were,  from  time  to  time,  derived  from  the  northern  part 
of  our  continent,  long  before  the  northern  hordes  devastated  the 
country  of  Aztalan,  Huehuetlapan,  and  Amaquemecan,  and  with 
good  reason,  believed  to  'be  from  Asia ;  of  Tartar,  Hebrew,  and 
Scythian  origin ;  from  their  dreadful  propensity  to  war  and  bloodshed, 
which  is  still  characteristic  of  our  northern  and  western  Indians- 


JPPOSED  USES  OF  THE  ANCIENT  ROADS  CONNECTED  WITH 

THE  MOUNDS. 


Ancient  roads,  or  highways,  which  in  many  parts  of  the  west,  are 
found  walled  in  on  both  sides  for  many  miles,  where  the  forest  trees 
are  growing  as  abundant,  and  as  large  and  aged,  as  in  any  part  of 
the  surrounding  woods. 

We  have  already  mentioned  several  roads  which  have  always 
been  found  connected  with  some  great  works ;  as  at  Piketon,  Ports- 
mouth, Newark,  Licking  county,  and  at  the  works  on  the  little  Mi- 
ami river.  These  roads  where  they  have  been  traced,  are  found  to 
communicate  with  some  mound,  or  mountain,  which  had  been  sha- 
ped by  art  to  suit  the  purposes  of  those  who  originated  these  stu. 


m- 


]^^ 


si     ! 


I) 


198     .  ^  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

pendous  works.  The  circumstance  of  their  being  walled  in  by 
banks  of  earth,  leaving  from  one  to  four  and  six  rods  space  between, 
has  excited  much  inquiry,  as  to  the  reason  and  purposes  of  their 
construction.  But  may  not  this  grand  characteristic  of  the  people 
of  the  west,  in  road  building,  be  illustrated  by  comparing  a  practice 
of  the  Mexicans  with  this  fact.  We  will  show  the  practice,  and  then 
draw  the  conclusion. 

"The  Mexicans  believed,  according  to  a  very  ancient  tradition,  that 
the  end  of  the  world  would  take  place  at  the  termination  of  every 
cycle  of  fifty-two  years ;  that  the  sun  would  no  more  appear  on  the 
horizon,  and  that  mankind  would  be  devoured  by  evil  genii  of  hi- 
deous appearance,  known  under  the  name  of  Tzitzimimes. 

On  the  last  day  of  this  great  cycle  of  time,  of  fifty-two  years, 
the  sacred  fires  were  extinguished  in  all  theit  temples,  and  dwel- 
lings, and  every  where,  all  the  ptople  devoting  themselves  to  pray- 
er, no  person  daring  to  light  a  fire  at  the  approach  of  the  night ; 
the  vessels  of  clay  were  broken,  garments  torn,  and  whatever  was 
njost  precious  was  destroyed,  because  every  thing  appeared  useless 
at  the  tremendous  moment  of  the  last  day. 

Amidst  this  frantic  superstition,  pregnant  women  became  the  ob- 
jects of  peculiar  horror  to  the  men ;  they  caused  their  faces  to  be 
hidden  with  masks  made  with  paper  of  the  agave ;  they  were  ev 
imprisoned  in  the  store  houses  of  maize  or  coin,  from  a  persuasion, 
that  if  the  catastrophe  took  place,  the  women  transformed  into  ti- 
gers, would  make  common  cause  with  the  evil  genii,  and  avenge 
themselves  of  the  injustice  of  the  men. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the  grand  procession,  called  the  festival 
of  the. new  fire  commenced.  The  priests  took  the  dresses  of  the 
gods,  and  followed  by  an  immense  crowd  of  people,  went  in  solemn 
train  to  the  mountain  of  Huzachtecatl,  which  was  two  leagues  or 
rix  miles  from  Mexico.  This  lugubrious  march  was  called  the 
march  of  the  gods ;  which  was  supposed  to  be  their  final  departure 


*^ 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN    THE   WEST. 


199 


from  their  city,  and  possibly  never  to  return ;  in  which  event,  the 
end  of  the  world  was  come. 

When  the  procession  had  reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain^ 
it  waited  till  the  moment  when  the  Pleiades,  or  the  seven  stars,  as- 
cended the  middle  of  the  sky,  to  begin  the  horrible  sacrifice  of  a 
human  victim,  stretched  on  the  stone  of  sacrifice,  having  a  wooden 
disk  on  the  breast,  which  the  priest  inilames  by  friction.  The  corpse, 
after  having  received  a  wound  in  the  breast,  which  extinguished 
life,  while  he  lay,  or  was  held  on  the  fatal  stone,  was  laid  on  the 
ground  ;  and  the  instrument  made  use  of  to  produce  fire  by  friction, 
was  placed  on  the  wound,  which  had  been  made  with  a  knife  of 
obsidian  stone.  When  the  bits  of  wood,  by  the  rapid  motion  of 
the  cylinder,  or  machine  made  use  of  for  that  purpose,  had  taken 
fire,  an  enormous  pile,  previously  prepared  to  receive  the  body  of 
the  unfortunate  victim,  was  kindled,  the  flames  of  which,  ascending 
high  into  the  air,  were  seen  at  a  great  distance ;  when  the  vast 
populace  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  surrounding  country,  filled  the 
air  with  joyful  shouts  and  acclamations. 

All  such  as  were  not  able  to  join  in  the  procession,  were  stationed 
on  the  terraces  of  houses,  and  on  the  tops  of  teocallis,  or  mounds, 
and  tumulis,  with  their  eyes  fixed  on  the  spot,  where  the  flame  was 
to  appear  ;  which,  as  soon  as  it  was  perceived,  was  a  token  of  the 
benevolence  of  the  gods,  and  of  the  preservation  of  mankind,  du- 
ring another  cycle  of  fifty-two  years. 

Messengers  posted  at  proper  distances  from  each  other,  holding 
branches  of  wood,  of  a  very  resinous  pine,  carried  the  new  fire 
from  village  to  village  to  the  distance  of  many  leagues ;  and  depo- 
sited it  anew  in  every  temple,  from  whence  it  was  distributed  to  all 
private  dwellings.  When  the  sun  appeared  on  the  horizon,  the 
shouting  was  redoubled,  the  procession  went  back  from  the  moun- 
tain to  the  city,  and  they  thought  they  could  see  their  gods  also  re- 
turning to  their  sanctuaries-  ' 


«,* 


200 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


f 


/  The  women  were  then  released  from  their  prisons,  every  one  pot 
on  a  new  dress,  the  temples  were  whitewashed,  their  household 
furniture  renewed,  their  plate,  and  whatever  was  necessary  for  do- 
mestic use.  "  This  secular  festival,  this  apprehension  of  the  sun 
being  extinguished  at  the  epoch  of  the  winter  solstice,  seems  to 
present  a  new  instance  of  analogy  betwcm  the  Mexicans  and  the 
inhabitants  of  Egypt.  When  the  Egyptians  saw  the  sun  descend 
from  the  Crab  towards  Capricorn^  and  the  days  gradually  grow 
shorter,  they  were  accustomed  to  sorrow,  from  the  apprehension 
that  the  sun  was  going  to  abandon  the  earth,  but  when  the  orb  be- 
gan to  return,  and  the  duration  of  the  days  grew  longer,  they  robed 
themselves  in  white  garments,  and  crowned  themselves  with  flow- 
ers."—ffumioW/,  380,  384. 

This  Mexican  uiage  may  have  been  practised  by  the  people  of 
the  west,  as  the  roads  would  seem  to  justify,  leading  as  they  do, 
either  to  some  mountain  prepared  by  art,  or  to  some  mound :  and  as 
these  processions  took  place  in  the  night,  so  that  the  Pleiades,  or 
seven  stars  might  be  seen,  it  was  necessary  that  the  roads  should  be 
walled  as  a  defence  against  an  enemy,  who  might  take  advantage 
under  cover  of  the  night. 

After  having  examined  these  accounts  of  the  ancient  works  of 
the  west,  it  is  natural  to  ask,  who  their  authors  were  :  this  can  be 
answered  only  by  comparison  and  conjecture,  more  or  less  upheld, 
as  circumstances,  features,  manners,  and  customs,  of  nations,  may 
resemble  each  other. 

"  If  we  look  into  the  Bible,  we  shall  there  learn,  that  mankind, 
soon  after  the  deluge,  undertook  to  raise  a  tower,  high  as  heaven^ 
designed  to  keep  them  together.  But  in  this  attempt  they  were 
disappointed,  and  themselves  dispersed  throughout  the  world.  Did 
they  forget  to  raise  afterwards,  similar  monuments  and  places  of 
worship  ?  They  did  not,  and  to  use  the  words  of  an  inspired  writer, 
"  high  places,"  of  various  altitudes  and  dimensions,  were  raised  on 
every  high  hill  throughout  the  land  of  Palestine,  and  all  the  east, 


^:- 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST- 


201 


among  the  pagan  nations.  Some  of  these  "  high  places"  belonged 
to  single  families,  some  to  mighty  chieftains,  a  petty  tribe,  a  citjT) 
or  a  whole  nation.  At  those  "  high  places,"  belonging  to  great  na- 
tions, great  national  affairs  were  transacted.  Here  they  crowned 
and  deposed  their  kings ;  here  they  concluded  peace,  and  declared 
war,  and  worshipped  their  gods.  <     ^•'^^■' 

The  Jews,  on  many  great  occasions,  assembled  at  Gilgal ;  which 
word  signifies  "  an  heap."  Shiloh,  where  the  Jews  frequently  as- 
sembled to  transact  great  national  affairs,  and  perform  acts  of  devo- 
tion, was  on  the  top  of  a  high  hill.  When  this  was  forsaken,  the 
loftier  hill  of  Zion  was  selected  in  its  stead ;  upon  Sinai's  awful 
summit  the  law  of  God  was  promulgated.  Solomon's  temple  was 
situated  upon  a  high  hill,  by  Divine  appointment.  Samaria,  a  place 
celebrated  for  the  worship  of  idols,  was  built  upon  the  high  hill  of 
Shemer,  by  Omri,  one  of  the  kings  of  Israel,  who  was  buried 
there.  How  many  hundreds  of  mounds  in  this  country,  are  situa- 
ted  on  the  highest  hills,  surrounded  by  the  most  fertile  soils. 

"  Traverse  the  counties  of  Licking,  Franklin,  Pickaway,  and 
Ross ;  examine  the  loftiest  mounds,  and  compare  them  with  those 
described  in  Palestine,  and  a  conviction  will  remain,  that  as  in  the 
eariiest  ages,  men  preferred  the  summit  of  the  highest  mountains, 
«o  a  love  of  the  same,  as  a  memorial  of  ancestry,  would  influence 
posterity  to  the  like  custom. 

But  the  most  extraordinary  mound  we  have  heard  of,  is  mention^ 
ed  in  Mr.  Schoolcraft's  Travels  in  the  west.  It  is  called  Mount 
JoUet,  and  is  situated  on  the  river  Des  Plains,  one  of  the  head  wa- 
ter rivers  of  the  Illinois.  Its  situation  is  such  as  to  give  its  size  its 
fullest  effect,  being  on  a  level  country  with  no  hill  in  sight  to  form 
a  contrast.  Its  height  is  sixty  feet,  or  nearly  four  rods  perpendicu- 
lar, its  length  eigty>four  rods,  its  width  fourteen,  and  is  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-six  rods  in  circumference  on  its  top,  but  conside- 
rably larger  measuring  round  the  base.     It  has  been  remarked  by 

23 


209 


AMERICAN  AlfTIQUITIEl 


Dr-  Beck,  that  this  is  probably  the  largest  mound  within  the  liroits 
of  the  United  States. 

This  mound  is  built  on  the  horizontal  lime  stone  stratum  of  the 
secondary  formation,  and  is  fronted  by  the  beautiful  lake  Joliet, 
which  is  but  fifteen  miles  long,  furnishing  the  most  "  noble  and 
picturesque  spot  in  all  America."  Schoolcraft.  This  mound  con- 
sists of  eighteen  million  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  solid  feet 
of  earth.  How  long  it  must  have  been  in  btiiig  builded,  is  more 
than  can  be  made  out,  as  the  number  of  men  employed,  and  the  fa- 
cilities to  carry  on  the  work,  are  unknown. 

In  England,  Scotland,  and  in  Wiles,  they  are  thus  situated.  At 
Inch-Tuthel,  on  the  river  Tay,  there  is  a  mound  which  resembles 
ours  on  the  Licking,  near  Newark.  The  camp  at  Comerie  is  on  a 
water  of  Ruchel,  situated  on  a  high  alluvion,  like  ours  in  the  west. 
The  antiquities  of  Ardoch  are  on  a  water  Kneck,  their  walls,  ditch- 
es, gateways,  mounds  of  defence  before  them,  and  every  thing 
about  them,  resemble  our  works  of  this  character,  in  America. 

What  Pennant,  in  his  Antiquarian  Researches  in  the  north  of 
Europe,  calls  &\pnetonum,  is  exactly  like  the.  circular  works  around 
our  mounds,  when  placed  witiiin  walls  of  earth.  Catter-thun,  two 
miles  from  Angus,  is  ascribed  to  the  ancient  Caledoiiians,  or  Scotch. 
Such  works  are  very  common  in  Ohio.  One  on  the  river  Loden, 
or  Lowthe,  and  another  near  the  river  Emet,  are  exactly  like  those 
in  the  west.  The  strong  resemblance  between  the  works  in  Scot- 
land and  those  of  the  M'est,  I  think  says  Mr.  Atwater,  no  man  will 
deny.  In  various  parts  of  the  British  iiles,  as.well  as  England, 
Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Wales,  are  abundance  of  those  works,  which 
were  places  of  worship,  burial,  and  defence,  built  by  the  ancient 
Picts,  so  called  by  the  Romans,  because  they  painted  themselves, 
like  the  aborigines  of  this  country. 

At  a  very  early  period  of  the  globe,  a  small  mound  of  earth  serv- 
ed as  a  sepulchre  and  an  altar,  whereon  the  officiating  priest  could 
be  seen  by  the  surrounding  worshippers.     Such  sacred  works  may- 


■fe. 


▲KO   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


203 


serv- 

could 

cs  may 


be  traced  from  Wales  to  Russia,  quite  across  that  empire  north,  to 
our  continent ;  and  then  acrojs  this  continent,  from  the  Columbia, 

on  the  Paciiii  Oaean,  to  the  Black  River,  on  the  east  end  of  Lake 

Ontario  ;  th3nc3  turning  in  a  SDUtli-woitara  direction,  we  find  them 

ext^ndinT;  quite  tj  tha  SDuth-'ra  parts  of  Mexico  and  Peru. 

"If  th.;r3  exists,"  says  Dr.  Clark,  "any  thing  of  former  times 
which  may  aftjid  evidence  of  antediluvian  manners,  it  is  this  mode 
of  burial ;  which  seems  to  mark  the  progress  of  population  in  the 
first  ages  after  the  dispDriion,  occasioned  by  the  confusion  of  Ian' 
guages,  at  Babel. 

Whether  und^r  the  form  of  a  mound  in  Scandinavia  and  Russia,  a 
barrow  in  England,  or  cairn  in  Ireland,  Scotland  and  Wales,  or  heaps 
of  earth,  which  the  modern  Greeks  and  Turk}  call  Tepe,  and  the 
Mexicans,  Tepee,  and  lastly,  in  the  more  artificial  shape  of  a  pyra» 
mid  in  Egypt ;  they  had  universally  the  same  origin," 

Here  we  have  the  unequivocal  opinion  of  a  man,  who  has  scarcely 
his  fellow  in  the  present  generation,  respecting  a  knowledge  of  the 
ancient  manners  of  mankind  ;  who  says,  that  the  tumuli,  found  in 
all  parts  of  the  earth,  behag  solely  to  the  age  immediately  suc- 
ceeding Noah's  flood  ;  which  guatly  favours  our  opinion,  that  this 
country  was  settled  as  early  as  the  other  parts  of  the  earth,  which 
are  at  as  great  a  distance  from  Mount  Ararat. 

But  what  is  the  distance  from  Mount  Ararat,  by  way  of  Bhering's 
Strait,  to  the  middle  of  the  United  States,  which  is  the  region  of 
the  Missouri }  It :;.  something  over  ten  thousand  miles ;  nearly  half 
the  circuit  of  the  globe.  Here,  in  the  region  of  the  Western  States, 
we  have,  by  the  aid  of  Baron  Humboldt,  supposed  the  country  of 
Aztalan  was  situated ;  where  the  great  specimens  of  labour  and  an- 
cient manners,  are  most  abundant.  If  this  was  the  way  the  first 
people  came  into  America,  it  is  very  clear,  they  could  not  have,  in 
the  ordinary  "way,  of  making  a  settlement  here,  and  a  settlement 
there,  have  arrived  soon  enough,  to  show  signs  of  as  great  antiquity^ 
in  their  works  in  America,  as  those  of  the  same  sort,  found  in  the 


fi04 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


north  of  Europe-      SoF^e  other  way,  therefore,  vre  are  confident, 
the  first  inhabitants  must  have  pursued,  so  that  their   works  in 
America,  might  compare,  in  character  and  antiquity,  with  those  of 
other  nations.     From  Ararat,  in  a  westerly  course,  passing  through 
Europe,  by  way  of  the  countries  now  situated  in  Russia  in  Europe, 
to  the  Atlantic,  the  distance  is  scarcely  five  thousand  miles ;  not 
half  the  distance  the  route  by  Bhering's  Strait  would  have  been. 
And  if  the  Egyptian  tradition  be  true,  respecting  the  island,  Ata- 
lantis,  and  the  conjectures  of  naturalists  about  a  union  of  Europe 
and  America  on  the  north,  there  was  nothing  to  hinder  their  settling 
here,  immediately  after  the  dispersion. 

It  is  supposed  the  first  generations,  immcdiatel;^  succeeding  the 
flood,  were  much  more  enlightened  than  many  nations  since  that 
period  ;  the  reason  is,  they  had  not  yet  forgotten  that  which  they 
had  learned  of  the  manners  of  their  antediluvian  ancestry  from  No- 
ah ;  but  as  they  spread  and  diverged  asunder,  what  they  had  learn- 
ed from  him  concerning  the  creation,  architecture,  and  the  cultuve  of 
the  earth  before  the  flood,  they  lost,  and  so  retrograded  to  savagism. 
It  is  true  the  family  of  Sheni,  of  whom  were  Abraham,  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  by  the  particular  providence  of  God,  retained,  unadul- 
terated, the  traditional  history  of  the  creation,  and  of  man,  till  the 
time  Moses  embodied  it  in  a  booic,  eight  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
years  after  the  flood.     But  the  rest  of  the  nations  were  left,  in  this 
respect,  to  mere  recollections,  which,  as  soon  as  they  divided  and 
subdivided,  became  contradictory  and  monstrous. 

But  the  authors  of  the  great  works  found  in  the  west,  seem  to 
have  retained  the  first  ideas  received  from  their  fathers  at  the  era 
of  the  building  of  Babel,  equally,  if  not  superior,  to  many  nations  of 
Europe,  as  they  were  in  the  year  eight  hundred  after  Christ.  This 
is  consented  to  on  all  hands,  and  even  contended  for  by  the  histO' 
lian,  Humboldt.  In  order  to  shew  the  reader  the  propriety  of  be- 
lieving that  a  colony,  very  soon  after  the  confusion  of  the  language 
of  mankind,  found  their  way  to  what  is  now  called  America,  we 


it**ti-_ 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


205 


give  the  tradition  of  the  Azteca  nation,  who  once  inhabited  Aztalan, 
the  country  of  the  western  states,  but  were,  at  the  era  of  the  con- 
quest, of  South  America,  found  inhabiting  the  vale  of  Mexico,  be- 
cause they  had,  as  we  have  shown,  been  driven  away  by  the  irrup- 
tions of  the  Tartarian  Indians. 

The  tradition  commences  with  an  account  of  the  deluge,  as  they 
had  preserved  it  in  books  made  of  the  buffalo  and  deer  skin,  on 
which  account  there  is  more  certainty  than  if  it  had  been  preserved 
by  mere  oral  tradition,  handed  down  from  father  to  son. 

They  begin  by  painting,  or  as  we  would  say,  by  telling  us  that 
Noah,  whom  they  call  Tezpi,  saved  himself,  with  his  wife,  whom 
they  call  Xochiquetzal,  on  a  raft,  or  canoe.  Is  not  this  the  ark  ? 
The  raft  or  canoe  rested  on  or  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  which  they 
call  Colhuacan ;  is  not  this  Ararat  .'*  The  men  bom  after  this  deluge 
were  born  dumb  ;  is  not  this  the  confusion  of  language  at  Babel .' 
A  dove  from  the  top  of  a  tree  distributes  languages  to  them  in  the 
form  of  an  olive  leaf ;  is  not  this  the  dove  ol  Noah,  which  returned 
with  that  leaf  in  her  mouth,  as  related  in  Genesis  ?  They  say  that 
on  this  raft,  beside  Tezpi  and  his  wife,  were  several  children,  and 
animals,  with  grain,  the  preservation  of  which  was  of  importance 
to  mankind  ;  is  not  this,  in  all,  most  exact  coincidence  with  what 
was  saved  in  the  ark  with  Noah,  as  stated  in  Genesis  ? 

When  the  great  spirit,  Tezcatlipoca,  ordered  the  waters  to  with- 
draw, Tezpi  sent  out  from  his  raft  a  vulture,  which  never  returned, 
on  account  of  the  great  quantities  of  dead  carcasses  which  it  found 
to  feed  upon  ;  is  not  this  the  raven  of  Noah,  which  did  not  return 
when  it  was  sent  out  the  second  time,  for  the  very  reason  here  a»- 
Mgned  by  the  Mexicans  }  Tezpi  sent  other  birds,  one  of  which 
was  the  humming  bird  ;  this  bird  alone  returned,  holding  in  its 
beak  a  branch  covered  with  leaves  ;  is  not  this  the  dove  ?  Tezpi 
seeing  that  fresh  verdure  now  clothed  the  earth,  quitted  his  raft 
near  the  mountain  Calhuacan ;  is  not  this  an  allusion  to  Ararat  of 
Asia  .'    They  say  the  tongues  which  the  dove  gave  to  maakind) 


206 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


i 


were  infinitely  varied  ;  which,  when  received,  they  immediately 
dispersed..  But  among  them  there  were  fifteen  heads  or  chirfit  of 
families,  which  were  permitted  to'  speak  the  same  language,  and 
these  were  the  Taltecks,  the  AcuMjucans,  and  Azteca  nations,  who 
embodied  themselve  togctlier,  whicl\  was  very  natural,  and  travel- 
led, they  knew  not  where,  but  at  length  arrived,  or  their  posterity, 
in  the  country  of  Aztalan. 

Now,  we  consider  the  comparative  perfection  of  the  preservation 
of  this  Bibie  account,  as  an  evidence  that  the  people  among  whom 
it  was  found,  must  have  settled  in  this  country  at  a  very  early  pe- 
riod of  time  after  the  flood,  and  that  they  did  not  wander  any  more, 
but  peopled  the  continent,  cultivating  it,  building  towns  and  cities, 
after  their  manner ;  the  vestiges  of  which  are  so  abundant  to  this 
day  ;  and  on  this  account,  viz.,  their  fixedness,  their  traditionary 
history  was  not  as  liable  to  become  lost,  as  it  would  have  undoubt- 
edly been,  had  they  wandered  as  many  other  nations  of  the  old 
world  have,  among  whom  scarcely  a  vestige  of  tlieir  origin  is  found 
in  credible  tradition,  compared  with  this. 

Even  the  HindoD  nations,  who,  in  their  origin,  wandered  also 
from  Ararat,  have  not,  with  all  their  boasted  refinement  and  anti- 
quity of  origin,  as  clear  an  account  of  the  first  age  of  the  earth,  as  these 
Mexicons.  But  there  is  anothei  additional  reason  for  it;  those  countries 
of  the  east  have  been  frequently  pverrun  by  savage  hordes  from  the 
vast  wilds  of  northern  Tartary ;  while  the  ancient  people  of  this 
continent  have  rested  in  p3acc,  till  similar  hordes  found  their  way, 
across,  at  Bhering's  strait,  in  later  years  ;  and,  as  is  believed,  an 
account  of  the  tradition,  both  of  some  of  the  western  tribes,  and  (rf 
the  Azteca  nations  in  Mexico,  were  driven  from  their  ancient  pos- 
sessions.   . 

If  then  we  believe  that  the  first  people  who  visited  this  country 
did  not  come  here  by  the  way  of  Bhering's  Strait,  from  Tartary, 
how  then  is  it  that  we  find  such  evident  marks,  in  the  mounds  and 


■C!'?: 


-W.: 


AND   DISCOVERIEi  IN   THE  WEST. 


207 


ountiy 
rtary, 
s  and 


himuli  of  the  west,  of  the  presence  of  a  Hindoo  population,  as  well 
as  of  other  nations. 

Let  the  tradition  of  the  nations  of  Taltec  and  Azteca  extraction 
in  Mexico,  answer  it.  These  say  that  a  wonderful  personage,  whom 
they  name  Quctzalcorttlf  appeared  among  them,  who  was  a  whiter 
and  bearded  man.  This  person  assumed  the  dignity  of  actinp;  a»  o 
priest  and  legislator,  and  became  the  chief  of  a  religious  sect,  which, 
like  the  Songasis  and  the  Boudhists  of  Indostan,  inflicted  on  them- 
selves the  most  cruel  penances.  He  introduced  the  custom  of  pier- 
cing the  lips  and  ears,  and  lacerating  the  rest  of  the  body,  with  the 
prickles  of  the  agave  leaves,  and  the  thorns  of  the  cactus,  and  of 
putting  reeds  into  the  wounds,  in  order  tliat  the  blood  might  be 
seen  to  trickle  more  copiously.  In  all  this,  sayo  Humboldt,  we 
seem  to  behold  one  of  those  Rishi,  hermits  of  the  Ganges,  whose 
pious  austerity  is  celebrated  in  the  books  of  the  Hindoos. 

Jewitt,  a  native  of  Boston,  who  lately  d-jd  at  Hartford,  Conn., 
was,  some  few  years  since,  captured  with  the  crew  of  the  vessel  in 
which  he  had  sailed,  by  the  Nootka  Indians,  at  Nootka  Sound,  on 
the  Pacific.  In  his  narrative  of  his  captivity  and  suiFerings,  he 
states,  that  those  Indians  had  a  religious  custom,  very  similar  to 
those  of  the  Hindoos,  now  in  use,  about  the  temple  of  Jugemaut, 
in  India ;  which  was,  piercing  their  sides  %vith  long  rods,  and  leap- 
ing about  while  the  rods  were  in  the  wound. 

Respecting  this  white  and  bearded  man,  much  is  said  in  their 
tradition,  recorded  in  their  books  of  skin,  and  among  other  things, 
that  after  a  long  stay  with  them,  he  suddenly  left  them,  promising 
to  return  again,  in  a  short  time,  to  govern  them,  and  renew  their 
happiness.  This  person,  nam^d  Tecpaltzin,  resembles,  very  strong- 
ly, in  his  promise  to  return  again,  the  behaviour  of  Lycurgus,  the 
Spartan  Lawgiver,  who,  on  his  departure  from  Lacedemon,  bound 
all  the  citizens  under  an  oath,  both  for  themselves  and  posterity, 
that  they  would  neither  violate  nor  abolish  his  laws  till  his  v-.uni 


206 


AMBRICAIf   AlfTlQUITIES 


\l   ■ 


and  soon  after,  in  the  isle  of  Crete,  put  himself  to  death,  so  that 
his  return  became  impossible. 

It  was  the  posterity  of  this  man,  whom  the  unhoppy  Montazuma 
thought  he  recognized  in  the  soldiers  of  Cortez,  the  Spanish  con- 
queror of  Mexico.  "  We  know,"  said  the  unhappy  monarch,  in 
his  first  interview  with  the  Spanish  general,  "by  our  books,  that 
myself  and  those  who  inhabit  this  country,  are  not  natives  but  stran- 
gers, who  came  from  a  great  distance.  We  know,  also,  that  the 
chief  who  led  our  ancestors  hither,"  that  is  to  Aztalan,  "  returned, 
for  a  certain  time,  to  his  primitive  country,  and  thence  came  back 
to  seek  those  who  were  here  established,"  who  after  a  while,  "  re- 
turned again,  alune.  We  always  believed  that  his  descendants 
would  one  day  come  to  take  possession  of  this  country.  Since  you 
arrive  from  that  region  where  the  sun  rises,  I  cannot  doubt,  but  that 
the  king  who  sends  you,  is  our  natural  master." 

This  chief  who  led  the  Azteck  tribes  first  to  Aztalan,  is  called 
Tecpaltzin,  and  seems  to  be  the  person  who  the  monarch  says,  re-> 
turned  to  his  native  land,  where  the  sun  rises  ;  which  is  a  strong 
allusion  to  the  country  of  Babylon,  or  some  part  of  the  old  world, 
about  the  Mediterranean,  which  is  east  from  Mexico,  where  the 
sun  rises,  the  very  country  where  the  chiefs  of  the  fifteen  tribes, 
speaking  the  same  language  with  himself,  first  received  that  lan- 
guage from  the  bird,  as  before  stated. 

But  Quetzalcoatl,  an  entire  different  character,  appears  among 
them  many  ages  after  their  settlement  at  Mexico,  as  a  religious 
teacher,  who,  Humboldt  says,  resembled  the  Boudhists  or  Bramhuns 
of  Indostan,  and  the  hermits  of  the  Ganges,  whose  pious  austerities 
are  celebrated  in  their  Pauranas,  or  books  of  theology. 

The  great  antiquarian,  Humboldt,  says  the  Azteca  tribes,  with 
their  associate  tribes  of  the  same  language,  left  their  country,  Azta- 
lan, in  the  year  of  our  Lord  544  ;  and  wandered  to  the  south  or 
southwest,  coming  at  last  to  the  vale  of  Mexico.  It  would  appear, 
from  this  view,  that  as  the  nations  of  Aztalan,  with  their  fellow  na- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IPf   THE   WEST 


aoo 


},  with 
Azta- 
uth  or 
ppear, 
w  na- 


tions, of  Astalan,  with  their  fellow  nations,  left  vast  works,  and  •  vast 
extent  of  country,  apparently  in  a  state  of  cultivation,  with  cities 
and  villages,  more  in  number  than  three  thousand,  as  Bracken- 
ridge  supposed,  that  they  must,  therefore,  have  settled  here  long 
before  the  Christian  era. 

The  peculiar  doctrines  of  the  Hindoos,  we  are  informed,  were 
commenced  to  be  taught  in  the  east,  among,  what  is  now  called  the 
Hindoo  nations,  by  Zoroaster'  about  the  time  of  Abraham,  1449 
years  before  the  time  of  Confucius,  who  was  born  551  years  before 
Christ ;  so  that  there  was  time  for  those  doctrines  of  Confucius  and 
Zoroaster  to  take  root  in  China,  and  to  become  popular,  and  also 
to  reach  America,  by  Hindoo  missionaries,  and  overspread  these 
regions  even  as  early  as  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era. 

Of  Zoroaster  it  is  said,  that  he  predicted  the  coming  of  the  Me- 
siah  in  plain  words  ;  and  that  the  "  \vise  men"  of  the  east,  who 
saw  his  star,  were  of  his  disciples,  or  sect.  This  doctrine  he  must 
have  learned  of  Shem,  who,  we  have  attempted  to  show,  was  Mel- 
chisedek,  or  of  Abraham,  as  it  had  been  handed  down  from  Adam, 
the  first  of  men.  But  the  peculiar  doctrine  of  Confucius,  which 
was  the  worship  of  fre,  as  well  as  that  of  the  sun  by  Zoroaster,  it 
is  likely,  was  derived  from  the  account  he  found  among  the  ar- 
chives of  the  Jews,  respecting  the  burning  bush  of  Moses,  which 
had  taken  place  more  than  a  thousand  years  before  the  time  of  Con- 
fucius. From  this  originated,  in  all  probability,  as  taught  by  Con- 
fucius, the  burning  of  heroes,  when  dead,  among  many  nations  ; 
and  from  this  that  of  immolating  widows,  as  among  the  Hindoos, 
on  the  funeral  pile,  taught  by  the  Brarahun  missionaries,  who,  un- 
doubtedly, visited  America,  as  it  joins  on  to  Asia  north,  or  as  it 
was  then  possibly  called,  Amaquernecan,&c.,  aad  planted  their  be- 
lief among  these  nations  ;  the  tokens  of  which  appear  so  abundantly 
in  the  mounds  and  tumuli  of  the  west. 

And  this  Quetzalcotl,  a  celebrated  minister  of  those  opinions,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  the  first  who  announced  the  religion  of  the  east 

27 


210 


AMEUICAN   ANTIQUITIES  / 


among  the  people  of  the  west-  There  was  also  one  other  minister, 
or  Bramhum,  w)"^  appeared  among  the  Mozea  tribes  in  South  Ame- 
rica, whom  they  name  Dochica.  This  pcrsonase  taught  the  wor- 
ship of  the  Sun  ;  and  if  wc;  were  to  judge,  should  pronounce  him 
a  missionary  of  the  Confucian  system,  a  worshipper  of  fire,  which 
was  the  religion  of  the  ancient  Persians,  of  whose  country  Confu- 
cius was  a  native.  This  also  is  evidence  that  the  first  inhabitants 
of  America  came  here  at  a  period  near  the  ilood,  long  before  that 
worship  was  known,  or  they  would  have  had  a  knowledge  of  this 
Persian  worship,  which  was  introduced  by  Bochica,  among  the  Ame- 
rican nations  ;  which,  it  seems,  they  had  not,  till  taught  by  this 
man. 

Bochicha,  it  appears,  became  a  legislator  among  those  natlons,^ 
and  changed  the  form  of  their  government  to  a  form,  the  construc- 
tion of  which,  says  Baron  Humboldt,  bears  a  strong  analogy  to  the 
governments  of  Japan  and  Thibet,  on  accouni  of  the  pontiffs  holding 
in  their  hands  both  the  secular  and  the  spiritual  reins.  In  Japan, 
an  island  on  the  east  of  Asia,  or  rather  many  islands,  which  com- 
pose the  Japanese  empire,  is  found  a  religious  sect,  stiled  Smto, 
who  do  not  believe  in  the  sanguinary  rites  of  shedding  either  human 
blood,  or  that  of  animals,  to  propitiate  tlieir  gods.  They  even  ab- 
stain from  animal  food,  and  detest  bloodshed,  and  will  not  touch  any 
dead  body. — Morse's  Geography,  pacje  522. 

There  is,  in  South  America,  a  whole  nation  who  eat  nothing  but 
vegetables,  and  who  hold  in  abhorrence  those  who  feed  on  fiesh. 
— Humboldt,  page  200.  Such  a  coincidence  in  the  religion  of  na- 
tions, can  scarcely  be  supposed  to  exist  unless  they  are  of  one 
origin.  "  I  am  not  ignorant,  says  Humboldt,  p.  199,  that  the 
Tchoutsks  annually  crossed  Bhering's  Straits  to  make  war  on  the 
inhabitants  of  the  northwest  coast  of  America." 

Therefore,  from  what  we  have  related  above,  and  a  few  pages 
back,  it  is  clear,  both  from  the  tradition  of  the  Aztecas,  who  lived 
in  the  western  regions,  before  they  went  to  the  south,  and  from  the 
faet  that  nations  on  the  Asiatic  side  of  Behring's  Straits,  having 


M 


AND   DISCOVERIES^   IN  THE   \\i.%T. 


211 


pages 
lived 
the 
aving 


come  annually  over  the  Struits  .  '  tight  with  the  ancient  nations  of 
the  northwest ;  that  we,  in  this  [wny,  l»ave  given  conclusive 
and  satisfactory  reasons,  why,  in  the  western  mounds  and  tumuli, 
are  found  evident  tokens  of  the  presence  of  a  Hindoo  population,  or 
at  least,  of  nations  iniluenced  hy  the  superstitions  of  that  people, 
through  the  means  of  missionaries  of  that  east ;  and  that  they  did 
not  hring  those  opinions  and  ceremonies  with  tliem  when  they  first 
left  Asia,  after  tlie  confusion  of  the  antediluvian  language,  as  led 
on  hy  their  fifteen  chiefs  ;  till,  hy  some  means,  and  at  some  period, 
they  finally  found  this  country  ;  not  hy  the  way  of  Uhering's  Straits, 
but  some  nearer  course,  as  wo  have  conjectured  in  other  places  in 
this  work. 

Perhaps  a  few  words  on  the  supposed  native  country  of  Quet- 
zalcotl,  may  be  allowed  ;  who,  as  wc  have  stated,  is  reported  to 
have  heen  a  ichile  and  bearded  man,  by  the  Mexican  Aztecas. — 
There  is  a  vast  range  of  islands  on  the  northeast  of  Asia,  in  the  Pa- 
cific, situated  not  very  far  from  Bhering's  Straits,  in  latitude  be- 
tween 40  and  50  degrees  north.  The  inhabitants  of  these  islands, 
when  first  discovered,  were  found  to  be  far  in  advance  in  the  arts 
of  civilization,  and  a  knowledge  of  government,  of  their  continental 
neighbours — the  Chinese  and  Tartars.  The  island  of  Jesso,  in  par- 
ticular, which,  of  itself,  is  an  empire,  comparatively,  being  very 
populous  ;  and  are  also  highly  polished  in  their  manners. 

The  inhabitants  may  be  denominated  white  ;  their  women  esn 
cially,  whom  Morse,  in  his  Geography  of  the  islands  of  Japan,  Jesso 
and  others  in  that  range,  says  expressly  are  white,  fair  and  ruddy. 
Humboldt  says  they  are  a  bearded  race  of  men,  like  Europeans. 

It  appears  the  ancient  government  of  these  islands,  especially 
that  of  Japan,  which  is  neighbour  to  that  of  Jesso,  was  in  the  hands 
of  spiritual  monarchs  and  pontiffs,  till  the  17th  centui/.  As  this 
was  the  form  of  government  introduced  by  Quetzalcotlj'when  he 
first  appeared  among  the  Azteca  tribes  ;  which  we  suppose  was  in. 
the  country  of  Aztalan,  or  western  states,  may  it  not  be  conjectured 


mv 


m 


213  AMERICAK    ANTIQUITIES 

that  he  was  a  native  of  some  of  those  islands,  who,  in  his  wander- 
ings, had  found  his  way  to  the  place  now  called  Bhering's  Straits  ; 
for,  indeed,  ancientlv  there  may  ha;e  been  only  an  isthmus  at  that 
place,  and  thence  to  this  country,  on  errands  of  benevolence  ;  as  it 
is  said  in  the  tradition  respecting  him,  that  he  preached  peace 
among  men,  and  would  not  allow  any  other  offering  to  the  divinity 
than  the  first  fruits  of  the  harvest ;  which  doctrine  was  in  character 
with  the  mild  and  amiable  manners  of  the  inhabitants  of  those 
islands. 

And  that  peculiar  and  striking  record,  found  painted  on  the  Mex- 
ican skin-hooks,  which  describes  Mm  to  have  been  a  lohite  and 
bearded  man,  is  our  other  reason  for  supposing  him  to  have  been  a 
native  of  some  of  these  islands,  and  most  probably  Jesso,  rather  than 
any  other  country. 

The  inhabitants  of  these  islands  originated  from  China,  and  with 
them  undoubtedly  carried  the  Persian  doctrines  of  the  worship  of 
the  Sun  and  fire,  consequently,  we  find  it  taught  to  the  people  of 
Aztalan,  and  Mexico,  by  such  as  visited  them  from  China,  or  the 
islands  above  named ;  as  it  is  clear  the  sun  was  not  the  original  ob- 
ject of  adoration,  in  Mexico,  but  rather  the  power  which  made  the 
snn ;  so  Noah  worshipped. 


I;' 


/ 

A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  CEREMONIES  OF  FIRE  WORSHIP,  AS 
PRACTICED  BY  CERTAIN  TRIBES  ON  THE  ARKANSAS, 

Mr.  Ash  witnessed  an  exhibition  of  fire  worship,  or  the  worship 
of  the  sun,  as  performed  by  a  whole  tribe,  at  the  village  of  Ozark, 
near  the  mouth  of  Ozark,  or  Arkansas  river,  which  empties  into 
the  Mississippi,  from  the  west. 

He  says,  he  arrived  at  the  villagi  at  a  very  fortunate  period ;  at 
a  time  when  it  was  filled  with  Indians  and  surrounded  with  their 
eamps.   They  amounted  to  about  nine  hundred,  and  were  composed 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST 


218 


^p,  AS 


)d;  at 

their 

[posed 


of  the  remnants  of  various  nations,  and  were  worhippers  of  the 
sun.  The  second  day  after  his  arrival,  happened  to  be  the  grand 
festival  among  them.  He  had  the  most  favourable  opportunity  of 
witnessing  their  adoiatious,  at  three  remarkable  stages ;  the  sun's 
rise,  meridian,  and  setting. 

The  morning  was  propitious,  the  air  serene,  the  horizon  clear,  the 
weather  calm.  The  nations  divided  into  classes ;  warriors,  young 
men  and  women,  and  married  women  with  their  children.  Each 
class  stood  in  the  form  of  a  quadrant ;  that  each  individual  might 
behold  the  rising  luminary,  and  each  class  held  up  a  particular  of- 
fering to  the  sun,  the  instant  he  rose  in  his  glory. 

The  warriors  presented  their  arras,  the  young  men  and  women 
offered  ears  of  corn,  and  branches  of  trees,  and  married  women 
held  up  to  his  light  their  infant  children.  These  acts  were  per- 
formed in  silence,  till  the  object  of  adoration  visibly  rose ;  when, 
with  one  impulse,  the  nations  burst  into  praise,  and  sung  an  hymn 
in  loud  chorus. 

The  lines  which  were  sung  with  repetitions,  and  marked  by 
pauses,  were  full  of  sublimity  and  judgement.  Their  meaning, 
when  interpreted,  is  as  follows  : 

Great  Spirit !  master  of  our  lives. 

Great  Spirit !  master  of  things  visible  and  invisible,  and  who 
daily  makes  them  visible  and  invisible. 

Great  Spirit !  master  of  every  other  spirit,  good  or;  bad  ;  com- 
mand the  good  to  be  favorable  to  us,  and  deter  the  bdd  from  the 
commission  of  evil. 

Oh  Grand  Spirit !  preserve  the  strength  and  courage  of  our  war- 
riors, and  augment  their  number,  that  they  may  resist  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  Spanish  enemies,  and  recover  the  country,  and  the  rights 
of  our  fathers. 

Oh  Grand  Spirit !  preserve  the  lives  of  such  of  our  old  men  as 
sre  inclined  to  give  counsel  and  example  to  the  young. 


214 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


\l 


I 


Preserve  our  children,  multiply  their  number,  and  let  them  be 
the  comfort  and  support  of  declining  age. 

Preserve  our  corn  and  our  animals,  and  let  not  famine  desolate 
the  land. 

Protect  our  villages,  guard  our  lives!  Oh  Great  Spirit!  when  you 
hide  your  light  behind  the  western  hills,  protect  us  from  the  Span- 
iards, who  violate  the  night,  and  do  evil  which  they  dare  not  com- 
mit in  the  presence  of  your  beams. 

Good  Spirit !  make  known  to  us  your  pleasure,  by  sending  to  us 
the  Spirit  of  Dreams.  Let  the  Spirit  of  dreams  proclaim  your  will 
in  the  night,  and  we  will  perform  it  through  the  day  ;  and  if  it  say 
the  time  of  some  be  closed,  send  them.  Master  of  Life  !  to  the  great 
country  of  souls,  where  they  may  meet  their  fathers,  i.:others,  chil- 
dren, and  wives,  and  where  you  are  pleased  to  shine  upon  them 
with  a  bright,  warm,  and  perpetual  blaze  ! 

Oh  Grand,  Oh  Great  Spirit !  hearken  to  the  voice  of  nations, 
hearken  to  all  thy  children,  and  remember  us  always,  for  we  are 
descended  from  thee. 

Immediately  after  this  address,  the  four  quadrants  formed  one  im- 
mense circle,  of  several  deep,  and  danced,  and  sung  hymns  de- 
scriptive of  the  power  of  th3  sun,  till  near  ten  o'clock.  They  then 
amused  and  refreshed  themselves  in  the  village  and  camp,  but  as- 
sembled precisely  at  the  hour  of  twelve,  and  formed  a  number  of 
circles,  commenced  the  adoration  of  the  meridian  sun.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  lilcral  translation  of  the  midday  address ; 

Courage  !  nations,  courage  !  the  Great  Spirit  looks  down  upon  us 
from  his  highest  seat,  and  by  his  lustre  appears  content  with  the 
children  of  his  own  power  and  gn'atness. 

Grand  Spirit !  how  great  are  his  works,  and  how  beautiful  are 
they !  How  good  is  the  Great  Spirit.  He  rides  high  to  behold  us. 
'Tis  He  who  causes  all  things  to  augment,  and  to  act.  He  even 
now  stands  for  a  moment  to  hearken  to  us. 


AND   DiSCOVERiUS   IN    TUU  YVEST. 


215 


[upon  us 
nth  the 

^ful  are 
lold  us- 
le  even 


Courage !  nations,  courage !  The  Great  Spirit,  now  above  our 
heads,  will  make  us  vanquish  our  enemies ;  he  will  cover  our  fields 
with  corn,  and  increase  the  animals  of  our  woods. 

He  will  see  that  the  old  be  made  happy,  and  that  the  young  aug- 
ment, lie  will  make  the  nations  prosper,  make  them  rejoice,  and 
make  them  put  np  their  voice  to  him,  while  he  rises  and  sets  in 
their  land,  or  while  his  heat  and  light  can  thus  gloriously  shine  out. 

This  was  followed  by  dancing  and  hymns,  which  continued  from 
two  to  three  hours,  at  the  conclusion  of  which,  dinners  were  serv- 
ed, and  eaten,  with  great  demonstrations  of  mirth  and  hilarity.  Mr. 
Ash  says,  he  dined  in  a  circle  of  chiefs,  on  a  barbecued  hog,  and 
venison  very  well  stewed,  and  was  perfectly  pleased  with  the  repast. 

The  dinner,  and  repose  after  it,  continued  till  the  sun  was  on  the 
point  of  setting.  On  this  being  announced,  by  several  who  had 
been  on  the  watch,  the  nations  assembled  in  haste,  and  formed 
themselves  into  segments  of  circles,  in  the  face  of  the  sun,  pre- 
senting their  ofl'erings  during  the  time  of  his  descent,  and  crying 
aloud,  "  The  nations  must  prosper ;  tliey  have  been  beheld  by  the 
Great  Spirit.  What  more  can  they  w  ant .'  Is  not  that  happiness 
enough  .''  Sec,  he  retires,  great  and  content,  after  havhig  viiited  his 
children  with  light  and  universal  good. 

Oh  Grand  Spirit !  sleep  not  long  in  the  gloomy  west,  but  return 
and  call  your  people  once  again  to  light  and  life,  to  light  and  life, 
to  light  and  life. 

This  was  succeeded  by  dances  and  songs  of  praise,  till  eleven 
o'clock  at  niglit ;  at  whicli  hour  they  repaired  to  rest,  some  retiring 
to  the  huts  that  formed  their  camp,  and  others  to  the  vicinity  of 
fires  made  in  the  woods,  and  along  the  river's  bank.  Mr.  Ash  took 
up  his  abode  with  a  French  settler  in  the  village.  He  understood 
that  these  Indians  have  four  similiar  festivals  in  the  year ;  one  for 
every  season. 

When  the  sun  does  not  shine,  or  appear  on  the  adoration  day,  au 
immense  fire  is  erected,  around  which  the  ceremonies  are  performed 
with  equal  devotion  and  care." 


aio 


AMCBICAIf   AlfTIQUITIES 


ORIGIN  OF  FIRE  WORSHIP. 


For  many  ages  the  false  religions  of  the  east  had  remained  sta- 
tionary; but  iu  this  period,  Magianism  received  considerable 
strength  from  the  writings  of  Zoroaster.  He  was  a  native  of  Me- 
dia. He  pretended  to  a  visit  in  heaven,  where  God  spake  to  him 
out  of  a  fire.  This  fire  he  pretended  to  bring  with  him,  on  his  re- 
turn. It  was  considered  holy  ;  the  dwelling  of  God.  The  priests 
were  forever  to  keep  it,  and  the  people  were  to  worship  before  it. 
He  caused  fire  temples  every  where  to  be  erected,  that  storms  and 
tempests  might  not  extinguish  it.  As  he  considered  God  as  dwel- 
ling in  the  fire,  he  made  the  sun  to  be  his  chief  residence,  and  there- 
fore, the  primary  object  of  worship.  He  abandoned  the  old  system 
of  two  gods,  one  good  and  the  other  evil,  and  taught  the  existence 
of  one  Supreme,  who  had  under  him  a  good  and  evil  angel  ;  the 
immediate  authors  of  good  and  evil.  To  ^ain  reputation,  he  retir- 
ed into  a  cave,  and  there  lived  a  long  time  a  recluse,  and  composed 
a  book  called  the  Zend  Avesta,  which  contains  the  liturgy  to  be 
used  in  the  fire  temples,  and  the  chief  doctrines  of  his  religion.— 
His  success,  in  propagating  his  system,  was  astonishingly  great. 
Almost  all  the  eastern  world,  for  a  season,  bowed  before  him.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  slain,  with  eighty  of  his  priests,  by  a  Scythian 
prince,  whom  he  attempted  to  convert  to  his  religion.  It  is  mani- 
fest that  he  derived  his  whole  system  of  God's  dwelling  in  the  fire< 
from  the  burning  bush,  out  of  which  God  spake  to  Moses.  He  was 
\<'ell  acquainted  with  the  Jewish  Scriptures.  He  gave  the  same 
history  of  the  creation  and  deluge  that  Moses  had  given,  and  insert- 
ed a  great  part  of  the  Psalms  of  David  into  his  writings.  The  Me- 
hestani,  his  followers,  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  in 
future  rewards  and  punishments,  and  in  the  purification  of  the 
body  by  fire,  after  which  they  would  be  united  to  the  good. — 
Marsh's  Ecclesiastical  History,  page  78. 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN    THE  WEST. 


217 


From  the  same  origin,  that  of  the  burning  bush,  it  is  altogether 
probable,  the  worship  of  fire,  for  many  ages,  obtained  over  the 
whole  habitable  earth ;  and  is  still  to  be  traced  in  the  funeral  piles 
of  the  Hindoos,  the  beacon  fires  of  the  Scotch  and  Irish,  the  peri- 
odical midniglit  fires  of  the  Mexicans,  and  the  council  fires  of  the 
North  American  Indians,  around  which  they  dance. 

A  custom  among  the  natives  of  New  Mexico,  as  related  by  BaroQ 
Humboldt,  is  exactly  imitated  by  a  practice  found  still  in  some 
parts  of  Ireland,  among  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Irish- 

At  the  commencement  of  the  month  of  November,  the  great  fire 
of  Samhuin  is  lit  up,  all  the  culinary  fires  ia  the  kingdom  being 
first  extinguished,  as  it  was  deemed  sacrilege  to  awaken  the  win- 
ter's social  flame,  except  by  a  spark  snatched  from  this  sacred  fire  ; 
on  which  account,  the  month  November  is  called,  in  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, Samhuin. 

To  this  day,  the  inferior  Irish  look  upon  bonfires,  as  sacred ;  they 
say  their  prayers,  walking  round  them  the  young  dream  upon  their 
ashes,  and  the  old  steal  away  the  fire  to  light  up  their  domestic 
hearths. 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  WESTERN  ANTIQUITIES. 

"  I  have  a  brick,"  says  Mr.  Atwater,  "  now  before  me,  over 
which  lay,  when  found,  wood  ashes,  charcoal,  and  human  bones, 
burnt  in  a  lar,c;e  and  hot  fiie.  And  from  what  was  found  at  Circle- 
ville,  in  the  mound  already  described,  it  would  seem  that  females 
were  sometimes  burnt  with  the  raahs.  I  need  not  say,  that  this 
custom  was  derived  from  Aila,  us  it  is  well  known,  that  is  the  only 
country  to  look  to  for  the  origin  of  such  a  custom.  The  Greek* 
and  Romans  practised  burning  their  illustrious  dead  ;   it  was  prao- 

haed  by  several  other  nations,  but  they  all  derived  it  from  Asia. 

28 


218 


AMERICAN    AlfTIQUITIES 


^^■i'A 


f  , 


M 


Id  Dr.  Clark's  volume  of  Travels  from  St.  Petersburgh  to  the 
Crimea,  in  the  year  1800 ;  and  in  his  Travels  in  Russia,  Tartary, 
tnd  Turkey,  it  is  said,  conical  mounds  of  earth,  or  tumuli,  occur 
very  frequently.  The  most  remarkable  may  be  seen  between  Ye- 
zolbisky  and  Voldai,  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  and  they  continue 
over  the  whole  country,  from  the  latter  place  to  Jedrova,  and,  final- 
ly, over  the  whole  Russian  empire.  The  author  of  the  travels 
above  alluded  to,  says,  "  There  are  few  finer  prospects  than  that  of 
Woronetz,  viewed  a  few  miles  from  the  town  on  the  road  to  Pautoo- 
sky.  Throughout  the  whole  of  this  country,  are  seen,  dispersed  over 
immense  plains,  mounds  of  earth,  covered  with  fine  turf,  the  sepul- 
chres of  the  ancient  wwld,  common  to  almost  every  habitable 
country." 

This  country,  (Russia  in  Europe)  from  Petersburgh  to  the  Cri- 
mea, a  seaport  on  the  Black  sea,  the  region  over  which  Adam  Clark 
travelled,  is  in  the  very  neighbourhood  of  Mount  Ararat ;  and  from 
the  circumstance  of  the  likeness  existing  between  the  mounds  and 
tumuli  there,  which  Clark  says  are  the  '  tombs  of  the  ancient  world,' 
t  nd  those  of  the  same  character,  in  North  and  South  America,  we 
draw  the  conclusion,  that  they  belong,  nearly  to  one  and  the  same 
era  of  time ;  viz  :  that  immediately  succeeding  the  confusion  of 
language,  at  the  building  of  Babel. 

We  are  told  in  the  same  volume  of  travels,  that  "  the  Cossacks 
at  Ekaterinedara,  dug  into  some  of  these  mounds,  for  the  purpose 
of  making  cellars,  and  found  in  them  several  ancient  vases,"  earth- 
en vessels,  corresponding  exactly  with  vases  found  in  the  western 
mounds.  Several  have  beeri  found  in  our  mounds,  which  resem- 
ble one  found  in  Scotland,  described  by  Pennant.  A  vessel  upp:- 
rently  made  of  clay  and  shells,  resemhiirig  in  its  form,  a  small  keg, 
with  a  spout  on  one  side  of  it,  formed  like  the  ppout  of  a  tea-kettle, 
with  a  chain  fastened  to  each  end,  made  probably  of  copper,  of 
which  Mr.  \twater  has  not  informed  us.  This  chain  answered  as 
ft  bail  or  handle  ;  exactly  on  its  top,  or  side,  under  the  range  of  the 


AND    DISCOVEIIIES   IN    THE    WEST. 


219 


purpose 
,"  eartb- 


cbain  handle,  is  aiuopeuiiig  of  an  exact  circle,  which  ii  the  mouth 
of  this  ancient  tea-kettle. — See  plat/;,  letter  A. 

In  the  Russian  tumuli  are  found  the  hones  of  various  animals,  as 
well  as  those  of  men.  in  the  western  tumuli  are  found  also,  the 
hones  of  men,  as  well  as  the  teeth  of  bears,  otters,  and  beavers. 

Thus  we  learn,  from  the  most  authentic  sources,  that  these  an- 
cient works  existing  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America,  are  simi- 
lar in  their  construction,  in  the  materials  with  which  they  were  rais-^ 
ed,  and  in  the  articles  <bund  in  them. 

Let  those  Who  are  constantly  seeking  for  some  argument  to  over- 
throw the  history  of  man  by  JMoses,  consider  this  fact.  Such  per- 
sons have  affected  to  believe,  that  there  were  different  stocks  or  races 
of  men,  derived  from  different  original  fathers ;  and  in  this  way  they 
account  for  the  appearance  of  human  beings  found  on  islands.  But 
this  similarity  of  works,  and  in  some  respects,  of  language,  and 
very  much  in  tradition,  relating  to  the  most  ancient  history  of  man, 
indicates,  nay  more,  establishes  the  fact,  that  all  men  sprting  from 
but  one  origin,  one  first  man  and  woman,  as  Moses  has  written  it 
in  the  book  of  Genesis. 

When  Dr.  Clark  was  travelling  in  Tartary,  he  found  a  place  cal- 
led Iverness,  situated  in  the  turn  of  a  river ;  he  inquired  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word,  and  found  that  Iverness,  in  their  language,  signi- 
(ies  in  a  turn.  Whoever  looks  into  Pennant's  Tour,  will  see  a  plate, 
representing  a  town  in  the  turn  of  a  river,  in  Scotland,  called  by 
the  same  name,  Iverness.  The  names  of  not  a  few  of  the  rivers 
in  England,  Scotland,  and  Wales,  are  the  names  also  of  rivers  in 
Tartary.  "  ="  '•  - 

Some  have  supposed  that  all  the  great  works  of  the  west,  of 
which  we  have  been  treating,  belong  to  our  present  race  of  Indians, 
but  from  continual  wars  with  each  other,  have  driven  themselves 
from  agricultural  pursuits,  and  thinned  away  their  own  numbers,  to 
that  degree,  that  the  animals  of  the  forest,  and  fishes  of  the  rivers, 
and  wild  fruit  of  the  forests,  was  found  to  give  them  abundant  sup- 


290 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


I' 


port ;  on  which  account,  we  found  them  mere  savages,  on  first  ac- 
qaaintanee  with  them. 

But  this  is  answered  by  the  Antiquarian  Society,  as  follows. 
"  Have  our  present  race  of  Indians  ever  buried  their  dead  in  mounds 
by  thousands  ?    Were  they  acquainted  with  the  use  of  silver,  or 
copper?  These  metals  curiously  wrought,  were  found  in  one  mound 
in  Marietta.      Did  the  ancestors  of  our  Indians  burn  the  bodies  of 
distinguished  chiefs,  on  funeral  piles,  and  then  raise  a  lofty  tumu- 
lus over  the  urn  containing  their  ashes  ?  Did  the  Indians  erect  any 
thing  like  the  "  walled  towns,"  on  Paint  Creek  ?  Did  they  ever 
dig  such  wells  as  are  found  at  Marietta,  Portsmouth,  and  above  all, 
such  as  those  in  Paint  Creek  ?  Did  they  manufacture  vessels  from 
calcareous  breccia,  equal  to  any  now  made  in  Italy  r  Did  they  ever 
make  and  worship  an  idol,  representing  the  three  principal  gods  of 
India,  called  the  Triune  Clip  ? — Sec  plate,  Ictier  E. 

To  this  we  respond,  ihey  never  have  :  no,  not  even  their  tradi- 
tions afford  a  glimpse  of  the  exintence  of  such  things,  as  forts,  tu- 
muli, roads,  wells,  mounds,  walls  enclosing,  between  one  and  two 
hundred,  and  even  five  hundred  acres  af  land ;  some  of  them  of 
stone,  and  others  of  earth,  twenty  feet  in  thickness,  and  exceeding 
high,  are  works  requiiing  tco  much  labour,  for  Indians  ever  to  have 
performed. 

The  skeletons  found  in  our  mounds  never  belonged  to  a  people 
like  our  Indians.  The  latter  are  a  tall,  and  rather  slender,  straight 
limbed  people ;  but  those  found  in  the  barrov.s  and  tumuli,  were 
rarely  over  five  feet  high,  though  a  few  were  six.  Their  foreheads 
were  low,  cheek  bones  rather  high,  their  faces  were  very  short  and 
livide,  their  eyes  large,  and  their  chins  very  broad. 

But  Morse,  the  geographer,  says,  -:ge  629,  the  Tartars  have 
small  eyes,  and  not  of  the  oblique  form,  like  the  Monguls  and  Chi- 
nese, neither  of  which  seem  to  correspond  with  the  large  eyed  race 
tvbo  built  the  mounds  and  tumuli  of  the  west ;  on  which  account, 
yn  the  more  freely  look  to  a  higher  and  more  ancient  origin  for 


>('iu£c>.^^j^^e&'^b.  '■.^la.-.-f.Lj.t-r-Jt-  J  .uaiuilMti^'if /i& -.' 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


9S1 


these  people.  The  Indians  of  North  America,  in  features,  com- 
plexion, and  form,  and  warlike  habits,  suit  far  hotter  the  Taitaric 
character,  than  the  skeletons  found  in  the  mounds  of  the  west.  The 
limbs  of  our  fossils  are  short  and  thick,  resembling  the  Germans 
more  than  any  other  Europeans  with  whom  we  are  acquainted. 

There  is  a  tradition  among  the  Germans,  that,  in  ancient  times, 
some  adventun^rs  of  their  nations,  discovered  the  region  now  called 
America,  and  made  settlements  in  it  ;  but  that,  subsequently,  they 
became  amalgamated  with  the  inhabitants  whom  they  found  alrea- 
dy here  ;  whether  of  Indian,  or  of  the  more  ancient  race  of  men 
before  them,  is  not  known. 

We  have  conversed  w'  '.  one  German  on  this  subject,  who  re- 
lates that  he  was  acquainted  with  a  family  of  Germanic  origin,  who 
once  were  in  the  possession  of  a  Bible,  printed  about  200  years 
since,  in  Germany.  In  this  Bible  was  an  account  of  the  discovery 
of  America.  We  have  taken  considerable  trouble  to  discover  this 
Bible  in  some  branch  of  the  family,  but  have  not  been  able  ;  but 
have  found  a  part  or  branch  of  the  family,  who  knew  that  such  a 
volume  was  once  in  the  possession  of  their  ancestors  ;  but  where  it 
is,  jt  whether  it  is  worn  out,  they  knew  not. 

Germany  is  situated  east  of  En<!land,  and  parts  of  it  lie  along  the 
coast  of  the  Atlantic,  or  North  Sea,  in  north  latitude  63  degrees. 
From  whence  voyfgsrs  may  have  passed  out  between  the  north  end 
of  Scotland  and  the  south  extremity  of  old  Norway,  by  the  Shetland 
and  Faroe  islands,  directly  in  the  course  of  Iceland,  Greenland  and 
the  Labrador  coast  of  America.  This  is  as  possible  for  the  Ger- 
mans to  have  performed,  as  for  the  Norwegians,  Danes  and  Welch, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1000,  as  shown  in  another  part  of  this 
work. 

An  idol  found  in  a  tumulus  near  Nashville,  Tennessee,  (see 
Plate,  letter  B.)  and  now  in  the  Museum  of  Mr.  Clifford,  of  Lex- 
ington, is  made  of  clay,  peculiar  for  its  fineness.  With  this  clay 
was  mixed  a  small  portion  of  gypsum  or  plaster  of  Paris.    This 


■lA 


232 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


idol  was  made  to  represent  a  man,  in  a  state  of  nudity  or  nakedness, 
whose  arms  had  been  cut  oil'  close  to  the  body,  and  whose  nose  and 
chin  have  been  mutilated,  with  a  fillet  and  cake  upon  its  head.  In 
all  these  respects,  as  well  as  in  the  peculiar  manner  of  plating  the 
hair,  it  is  exactly  such  an  idol  as  Professor  Pallas  found  in  his  tra- 
vels in  the  southern  part  of  the  Russian  einpire. 

A  custom  among  the  ancient  Greeks,  may  have  given  rise  to  the 
formation  of  such  an  idol  ;  which  was  copied  by  the  Asiatic  ances- 
tors of  the  people  who  brought  it  with  them  from  Asia  to  the  woods 
of  America-  This  custom  was  :  When  a  victim  was  destined  t  * 
be  sacrificed,  the  sacred  fillet  was  bound  upon  the  head  of  the 
idol,  the  victim  and  the  priest.  The  salted  cake  was  placed  upcii 
the  head  of  the  victim  only  ;  it  was  called  "  Mola,"  hence  immolarey 
or  immolation,  in  later  times  was  used  to  signify  any  kind  of  sa- 
crifice. 

On  this  idol,  (see  the  Plate,  letter  B.)  found  nea:  Nashville,  the 
sacred  fillet  and  salted  cake  are  represented  on  its  head  :  it  is  sup- 
posed the  copy  of  this  god  was  borroAved  by  the  Greeks  from  the 
Persians,  from  whence  it  might  also  have  been  copied,  in  later 
times,  by  the  Chinese  nations,  and  from  thence  have  been  brought 
to  America. 

"  If  the  ancestors  of  our  North  American  Indians,  were  from  the 
northern  parts  of  Tartary,  those  who  worshipped  this  idol  came 
from  a  country  lying  farther  to  the  south,  where  the  population  was 
more  dense,  and  where  the  arts  had  made  greater  progress ;  while 
the  Tartar  of  the  north  was  a  hunter  and  a  savage,  the  Hindoo  and 
southern  Tartar  were  well  acquainted  with  most  of  the  useful  arts," 
who,  at  a  later  period  than  that  of  the  first  people  who  settled  this 
country,  came,  bringing  along  with  them  the  ar/s,  the  idols^  and  the 
religious  riles  of  Hindostan,  China,  and  the  Crimea." 

The  ancestors  of  our  northern  Indians  were  mere  hunters ;  while 
the  authors  of  our  tumuli  were  shepherds  and  husbandmen.  The 
temples,  altars  and  sacred  places  of  the  Hindoos  were  always  situ- 


AND  DISCUVEUmS   IN    THE    WEST. 


2d3 


while 
The 
situ- 


ated on  the  bauks  of  some  stream  of  water.  The  same  observa- 
tion applies  to  the  temples,  altars  and  sacred  places  of  those  who 
erected  our  tumuli.  "  To  the  consecrated  streams  of  Flindostan, 
devotees  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  empire,  to  worship  their 
gods,  and  purify  thimselves  by  bathing  in  the  sacred  waters.  In 
this  country,  their  sacred  places  were  uniformly  on  the  banks  of 
some  river  ;  and  who  knows  but  the  Muskingum,  the  Scioto,  the 
Miami,  the  Ohio,  the  Cumberland,  and  the  Mississippi,  were  once 
deemed  as  sacred,  and  their  banks  as  thickly  settled,  and  as  well 
cultivated,  as  are  now  the  Ganges,  the  Indus,  and  the  Baurempoo- 
ter." — American  Ant.  Rcscarcltes. 

"  Some  years  since  a  clay  vessel  was  discovered,  about  twenty 
feet  below  the  surface,  in  alluvial  earth,  in  digging  a  well  near 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  was  found  standing  on  a  rock,  from 
whence  a  spring  of  wtter  issued.  This  vessel  was  taken  to  Peale'a 
Museum,  at  Philadelphia.  It  contains  about  one  gallon  ;  was  cir- 
cular in  its  shape,  with  a  flat  bottom,  from  which  it  rises  in  a  some- 
what globose  form,  terminating  at  the  summit  with  the  figure  of  a 
female  head  ;  the  place  \yhere  the  water  was  introduced.,  oi  :  .ured 
out,  was  on  one  side  of  it,  nearly  at  the  top  of  the  globose  part. 
The  features  of  the  face  are  Asiatic  ;  the  crown  of  the  head  is  co- 
vered by  a  cap  of  a  pyramidal  figure,  with  a  flattened  circular  sum- 
mit, ending  at  the  apex,  with  a  round, button.  The  ears  are  large, 
extending  as  low  as  the  chin.  The  features  resemble  many  of 
those  engraved  for  Raffle's  History  ;  and  the  cap  resembles  Asiatic 
head  dresses." — Am.  Ant.  Researches. 

Another  idol  was,  a  few  years  since,  dug  up  in  Natchez,  on  the 
Mississippi,  on  a  piece  of  ground  where,  according  to  tradition,  long 
before  Europeans  visited  this  country,  stood  an  Indian  temple. — 
This  idol  is  of  stone,  and  is  nineteen  inches  in  height,  nine  inches 
in  width,  and  seven  inches  thick  at  the  extremities.  On  its  breast  as 
represented  in  the  plate  of  the  idol,  were  five  marks,  which  were 
evidently  characters  of  some  kind,  resembling,  as  supposed,  the 


224 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIBfl 


'\^m 


l^.-:* 


Persian  ;  probably  expressing,  in  the  language  of  its  authorn,  the 
name  and  Kupposed  attribulos  of  tlie  sriisrlcss  god  of  stone. — See 
the  Plate,  letter  G. 

It  has  been  supposed  the  present  race  of  Iiuiiuns  found  their  way 
from  Asia,  by  the  means  of  Bhering''s  Straits,  and  had  passed  from 
thence  along  down  the  chain  of  northern  lakes,  till  they  finally 
came  to  the  Atlantic,  south  of  Hudson's  Kay,  in  latitude  about  bO 
degrees  north  ;  lony  belbrc  the  people  who  and  made  the  great 
ivorks  of  the  west.  That  tliis  was  the  fact,  is  argued  by  those 
who  contend  for  its  belief,  from  their  having  a  greater  knowledge 
of  the  arts  difluscd  among  tiiera,  than  the  Indians. 

It  is,  say  they,  among  a  dense  population,  that  thcss  improve- 
ments are  efiected  ;  it  is  here  that  necessity,  tiie  mother  of  invention, 
prompts  man  to  subject  such  animals  to  his  dominion,  as  he  disco- 
vers most  docile,  and  best  calculated  to  as!  i  t  him  in  his  labours, 
and  to  supply  him  with  food  and  raiment.  All  this  we  believe  ; 
and  for  this  very  reason  we  hold  the  authors  of  our  western  works 
were  thus  enlightened,  before  they  came  here,  on  the  plains  of  Shi- 
nar,  amid  the  density  of  the  population  of  the  region  immediately 
round  about  the  tower  of  Baliel.  For  it  is  evident,  they  never 
would  have  undertaken  to  build  a  work  so  immense  as  that  tower, 
unless  their  numbers  were  considered  equal  to  it  ;  and  much  less, 
unless  this  was  the  fact,  could  they  have  in  reality  efiected  it. 

While  the  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands,  who  were  employed 
in  that  work,  were  thus  engaged  ;  there  must  also,  for  their  sup- 
port, have  been  a  large  country,  densely  peopled,  under  contribu- 
tion. In  order  to  this,  agriculture  must  have  been  resorted  to  ;  in- 
struments of  metal  were  indispensable,  botli  in  cleaning  the  earth 
and  in  erecting  the  tower.  All  this  was  learned  .rem  Noah,  who 
had  brought  with  himself  and  family,  the  knowlcf^ge  of  the  ante- 
diluvians ;  of  whom  it  is  said  expressly,  in  the  book  of  Genesis, 
that  they  both  understood  the  use  of  iron  and  brass,  as  well  as  agri- 


Arro  DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


395 


jloyed 
it  sup- 
Itribu- 

;  in- 
earth 
I,  %vho 

I  ante- 

lesis, 

I  agri- 


culture. Abel  was  a  tiller  of  the  ground  ;  Tubal  Cain  was  a  work* 
^r  in  iron  and  brns3 

It  cannot,  thtirforc,  be  po-slblc  that  Jfoah's  immediate  descend- 
ants, to  tlie  third  or  tenth  g;ncrat;oas,  could  have  forgotten  these 
things.  And  such  as  wandered  least  after  the  disptrMon,  after  auch 
OS  may  have  rspokcn  the  same  language,  had  found  a  place  to  settle 
in,  would  most  certainly  retain  this  antediluvian  information  more 
than  such  as  wandered,  as  the  Tartars  always  have  done. 

One  of  the  arts  known  to  the  builJera  of  Babel,  was  that  of  brick 
making  ;  this  art  was  alsD  known  to  the  paople  who  built  the 
works  in  the  west.  Thi^  knowledg-  of  copper  was  known  to  the 
'people  of  the  plains  of  Shinar,  for  Noah  must  hava  communicated 
it,  as  he  lived  an  hundred  and  iifty  years  among  them  after  tifee 
flood  ;  for  copper  was  known  to  the  antediluvians.  Copper  was 
also  known  to  th3  authors  of  ihi.  western  monuments.  Iron  was 
known  to  the  antediluvians ;  it  was  also  known  to  the  ancients  of 
the  west ;  however,  it  is  evident  that  very  littJe  iron  was  among 
them,  as  very  few  instances  of  its  discovery  in  their  works  have 
occurred  ;  and  for  this  very  reason  we  draw  a  conclusion  that  they 
came  to  this  country  very  soon  after  the  dispersion,  and  brought 
with  them  such  few  articles  of  iron  as  hava  been  found  in  their 
works  in  an  oxydizod  state. 

Copper  ore  is  very  abundant,  in  maiiy  places  of  the  west ;  and 
therefore,  as  they  had  a  knowledge  cf  it,  when  they  first  came 
here  they  knew  how  to  work  it,  and  form  it  into  tools  and  orna- 
ents.  This  is  the  reason  why  so  many  articles  of  this  metal  are 
found  in  their  works  ;  and  even  if  they  had  a  knowledge  of  iron 
ore,  and  knew  how  to  v/ork  it,  all  articles  aiade  of  it  must  have  be- 
come oxydized,  as  appears  from  what  few  specimens  have  been 
found,  while  those  of  copper  are  more  imperishable.  Gold  orna- 
ments are  said  to  have  bei;n  found  in  several  tumuli.  Silver,  very 
well  plated  on  copper,  has  been  found  in  several  mouuus,  besides 

those  at  Circleville  and  Marietta.    An  ornament  of  copper  has  been 

29 


22« 


AMERICAIf   AIVTIQUITIEC 


[ ;  >i:  I  < 


found  in  a  stone  mound  near  Cbillicothe  ;  it  was  a  bracelet  for  the 
ancle  or  vi'rist. 

The  ancients  of  Asia,  irnmediately  after  (he  dispersion,  were  ac- 
quainted with  ornaments  made  of  the  aciIous  metals ;  for  in  the  fa* 
mily  of  Terah,  who  was  the  father  of  Abraham  and  Nahor,  we  find 
these  ornaments  in  use  for  tbe  beautifying  of  females.     See  the  ser- 
vant of  Abraham,  at  the  well  of  Eethuel,  in  the  country  of  "  Ur  of 
the  Chaldeans,"  or  Mesopotamia,  which  is  not  very  far  from  the 
place  where  Eabel  stood — putirg  a  jewel  of  gold  upon  the  face  or 
forehead  of  Rebecca,  weighing  half  a  shekel,  and  two  bracelets  for 
her  wrists,  or  arms.     Bracelets  fot  the  same  use  have  been  found 
in  the  west ;  all  of  which  circumstances  go  to  establish  the  ac- 
quaintance of  those  who  made  those  ornaments  of  silver  and  copper 
found  in  the  mounds  of  the  west,  equal  with  thosie  of  Ur  in  Chaldea- 
The  families  of  Peleg,  lieu,  Serug,  and  Nahor,  who  were  the  im- 
mediate progenitors  of  Abraham,  lived  at  an  era  but  little  after  the 
flood  ;  and  yet  we  find  tliem  in  the  possession  of  ornaments  of  this 
kind  ;  from  which  we  conciude  a  knowledg',;  both  of  tbe  metals, 
and  how  to  make  ornaments,  as  above  described,  was  brought  by 
Noah  and  his  family  from  beyond  the  f.ooJ. 

A  knowledge,  therefore,  of  these  things  must  have  gone  with 
the  diflerent  people  who  spread  themselves  over  the  whole  earth, 
and  were  retained  by  those  who  wandered  least,  as  we  suppose  was 
the  fact  in  relation  to  the  frst  settlers  of  this  continent,  in  the  re- 
gions of  the  west.  It  is  believed  by  some  that  the  common  Indian 
nations  came/ri7  to  this  country  to  the  northwest,  and  following 
the  northern  lakes,  found  their  way  to  the  Atlantic  ;  while  at  a 
later  period,  they  suppose,  the  more  enlightened  nations  of  China 
came  tho  same  way,  and  followed  along  down  the  shore  of  the  Pa- 
cific, till  they  found  a  mild  climate,  along  in  latitude  fifty,  forty, 
and  thirty. 

But  this  is  not  possible :  First,  because  the  Indians  were  found 
by  U8  as  numerous  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  as  on  the  shores  of 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


387 


found 
Ires  of 


the  Atlantic,  and  in  all  the  vast  country  between  ;  dwelling  where 
n  people,  still  more  ancient  than  they,  as  we  believe,  once  lived, 
but  had  forsaken  tht.'ir  finld?,  their  h.oiises,  their  temples,  mounds, 
forts,  and  tumuil,  and  either  were  nearly  ext-'irminated  in  wars  with 
them,  or  wandered  to  the  south  ;  the  small  residue,  the  descend- 
ants of  whom  are  found  in  several  of  the  nations  inhabiting  South 
America,  as  \\c  have  shown  heretofore. 

Second  ;  it  would  seem  impossible  for  the  people,  or  nations,  who 
built  the  vast  works  of  the  west,  and  are  evidently  of  the  shepherd 
or  agricultural  cast,  to  have  crossed  the  strait,  and  fought  their  way 
through  hostile,  opposing  and  warlike  nations,  till  they  had  esta- 
blished themselves  in  their  very  midst.  It  is,  therefore,  much  more 
agreeable  to  reason,  and  also  to  the  traditions,  both  of  the  Azteca 
nations  in  Mexico  and  the  Wyandot  tribes  in  the  west,  to  believe 
that  our  Indians  came  on  to  the  continent  at  a  much  later  period 
than  those  who  are  the  authors  of  the  works  we  have  described, 
and  that  they  had  many  wars  with  them,  till,  at  length,  they  slowly 
moved  to  the  south,  abandonii  g  for  ever  their  country,  to  wander, 
they  knew  not  whither,  as  we  have  also  shown.  This  conclusion 
is  not  mere  fancy,  for  it  is  a  matter  of  historic  record,  that  the 
"  Tchautskis'  annually  crossed  Bhering's  Straits  to  make  war  on  the 
inhabitants  of  the  northwest  coast  of  America." — Humboldt-  vol.  1, 
page  199. 

The  reader  will  recollect  our  descripioa  of  the  walled  towns  of 
the  west,  surrounded  with  deep  ditches ;  as  found  on  Paint  Creek, 
Little  Miami,  Circleville,  Marietta,  Cincinnati,  Portsmouth,  and  in 
Perry  county,  Ohio.  There  is  a  town,  (see  Morse's  Geography, 
vol.  2,  p.  C31.)  situated  in  the  regions  of  Mount  Ararat,  in  the 
country  called  Independent  Tartary,  by  the  name  of  Khiva,  which 
stands  on  a  rising  ground,  like  the  town  in  Perry  county.  It  is  sur- 
rounded with  a  high  wall  of  earth,  very  thick,  and  much  higher 
than  the  houses  within.  It  has  three  gateways  ;  there  are  turrets 
at  small  distances,  and  a  broad  deep  ditch  ;  the  town  is  large,  and 


228 


AMERICAN   A:«TIQUITIES 


occupies  a  considerable  space,  and  commands  a  beautiful  prospect 
of  the  distant  plains,  which  the  industry  of  the  inhabitants  has  ren- 
dered very  fertile  ;  but  the  houses  of  this  town  are  very  low,  and 
mostly  built  of  mud,  and  the  icofs  I'at,  ar-d  covered  with  earth- 
This  town,  which  so  exactly  corresponds  with  the  ruins  of  the  west, 
is  in  that  part  of  Asia,  east  of  Ararat,  where  the  primitive  inhabi- 
tants, immediately  after  the  deluge,  made  the  f.rst  settlements. 
And  from  this  coincidence,  we  are  led  to  a  belief,  drawn  from  this 
and  abundant  other  evidence,  that  the  antiquity  of  the  one  is  equal 
■with  that  of  the  other ;  that  its  constructicn  is  indeed  of  the  primi- 
tive form ;  which  strengthens  our  opinion,  that  the  first  inhabitants 
of  America,  came  here  with  the  very  ideas  relative  to  the  construc- 
tion and  security  of  towns  and  fortifications,  that  dictated  the  build- 
ing of  Khiva.  It  is  allowed,  on  all  hands,  that  the  people  of  Asia 
are  wholly  of  the  primitive  stamp  ;  their  antiquities,  therefore,  are 
of  the  same  character. 

"  Proofs  of  primitive  times,"  says  Mr.  Atwater,  "  are  seen  io 
their  manners  and  customs,  in  their  modes  of  burial  and  worship, 
and  in  their  wells,  which  resemble  those  of  the  patriarchal  ages. 
Here  the  reader  has  only  to  recollect  the  one  at  Marietta,  those  at 
Portsmouth,  on  Paint  Creek,  at  Cincinnati,  and  compare  them  with 
those  described  in  Genesis.  Jacob  rollcl  the  stone  from  thf.  well's 
mouth,"  that  is,  from  the  fountain  at  the  bottom.  "Rachfl  de- 
scended with  her  pitcher,  and  brought  up  water  for  her  future  hus- 
band, and  for  the  fiocks  of  her  father." 

"  Before  men  were  acquainted  with  letters,  they  raised  monu- 
ments of  unwrought  fragments  of  roclcs,  for  the  purpose  of  perpetu- 
ating the  memory  of  events.  Such  we  find  raised  in  America.  In 
the  potriarchal  ages,  men  were  in  the  habit  of  burying  their  dead 
'<m  high  mountains  and  hills,  with  mounds  or  tumuli  raised  over 
them;  such  we  find  in  America."  Mr.  Atwater  asks  the  question, 
"^  did  they  not  come  here  as  early  as  the  days  of  Lot  and  Abraham  ?" 
^ho  lived)  or  were  born,  eo;»elhing  more  than  two  thousand  years 


AND   DISCOVGIfUCS   IN   THE  W&ST. 


229 


before  Christ,  which  would  be  only  about  three  hundred  and  forty 
years  after  the  flood,  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  after 
the  confusion  of  language  at  Babel. 

If  so,  they  were  acquainted  more  or  less  with  a  knowledge  of 
the  true  God,  the  creation  of  the  world,  with  the  circumstance  of 
the  building  of  the  ark,  the  fact  of  the  dtlnge,  the  number  of  per- 
6ons  saved  in  the  ark,  or,  as  they  say,  on  m  laft ;  and  also,  with  cir- 
aumstances  which  transpired  after  the  flood,  as  mentioned  in  Scrip- 
ture ;  all  of  which  are  plainly  alluded  to  in  Mexican  tradition. 

But  other  nations  than  the  progenitors  of  the  Mexicans,  have  al- 
so found  this  country,  at  other  eras,  one  after  another,  as  accident 
or  design  may  have  determined. 


DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA  BY  THE  NORWEGIANS  AND  WELCH 
BEFORE  THE  TIME  OF  COLUMBUS. 


Imonu- 
^rpetu- 
pa.  In 
|r  dead 
Id  over 
sftion, 
lam?" 
years 


This  is  contended  by  Lord  Monboddo,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and 
A  philosophical  and  metaphysical  writer  of  the  17th  century.  He 
wrote  a  dissertation  on  the  origin  and  progress  of  language,  in  which 
be  is  sure  he  has  found  among  the  nations  of  America,  who  are  of 
the  aboriginal  class,  the  ancient  Celtic  or  Gaelic  dialect.  He  goes 
further,  and  supposes  that  all  the  nations  of  America,  from  the  La- 
brador Esquimaux,  to  the  natives  of  Florida,  ire  derived  of  Celtic 
origin :  but  to  this  we  cannot  subscribe,  as  that  many  nations  of  the 
common  Indians  are  evidently  of  Tartaric  or  Scythian  origin ;  the 
descendants  of  the  race  of  Shem,  and  not  of  Japheth,  who  was  a 
white  man. 

Monboddo,  however,  argues,  in  support  of  his  opinion,  from  a 
number  of  curious  circumstances.  He  says  that  when  in  France, 
he  was  acquainted  with  a  French  Jesuit,  a  man  of  great  and  cele- 
brated erudition,  who  related  to  him,  that  a  companion  of  his,  who 
v/M  engaged  in  the  missionary  service,  with  himself,  among  the 


230 


AMERICAIf    ANTIQVITIEI 


northern  Indians  in  America,  and  having  lost  hk  way  in  the  woods, 
travelled  on,  he  knevir  not  whither,  till  he  found  himself  among  the 
Esquimaux  Indians. 

Here  he  staid  long  enough  to  learn  their  langunge ;  after  which 
he  returned  to  Quebec,  in  Canada ;  and  happening  one  day  to  be 
walking  along  the  docks  of  that  city,  observed  among  the  crew  of 
a  ship  that  was  moored  there,  a  sailor  who  was  a  native  of  the 
country  at  the  foot  of  the  Pyrenian  mountain,  on  the  side  of  France. 

On  hearing  this  man  speak,  who  was  a  Baskque,  from  his  know- 
ledge of  the  Esquimaux,  obtained,  as  above  related,  he  understood 
what  he  said,  so  that  they  conversed  together  awhile.  Now  the 
language  which  the  Basques  speak.  Lord  Monboddo  informs  ,us,  is 
absolutely  a  dialect  of  the  ancient  Celtic,  and  differs  but  little  from 
the  language  of  the  ancient  Highlanders  of  Scotland. 

This  opinion  is  corroborated  by  a  fact,  noticed  in  a  Scotch  pu  bli- 
cation,  respecting  an  Esquimaux  Indian,  who  accompanied  one  of 
the  English  expeditions  toward  the  North  Pole,  with  the  view  to 
reach  it  if  possible ;  or  to  find  a  passage  from  the  North  Atlantic 
through  to  the  North  Pacific,  by  the  ^^  ay  of  Bhering's  Straits ;  but 
did  not  succeed  on  account  of  the  ice. 

On  board  of  this  vessel,  was  a  Scotch  Highlander,  a  native  of 
the  island  of  Mull,  one  of  the  Hebrides ;  who,  in  a  few  days  time, 
was  enabled  to  converse  fluently  v.ith  the  Esquimaux ;  which  would 
seem  to  be  proof  absolute,  of  the  common  origin,  both  of  the  Es- 
quimaux language,  and  that  of  the  Basque,  which  is  the  ancient 
Scotch  or  Celtic. 

Also  the  same  author  states,  that  the  Celtic  language,  was  spo- 
ken by  many  of  the  tribes  of  Florida,  which  is  situated  at  the  north 
end  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with 
a  gentleman,  from  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  who  was  several  years 
in  Florida,  in  a  public  character,  and  who  stated  that  many  of  the 
tribes  with  whom  he  had  become  acquainted,  had  the  greatest  af- 
finity with  the  Celtic  in  their  language  :  which  appeared  particu- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   m   THE   WEST 


231 


larly,  both  in  the  form  of  speech,  and  manner  of  reciprocating  the 
common  salutation,  of  "  how  do  you  do." 

But  what  is  still  more  remarkable,  is  their  war  song ;  he  disco- 
vered, not  only  the  sentiments,  but  several  lines,  the  very  same 
words  as  used  in  Ossian's  celebrated  majestic  poem  of  the  wars  of 
his  ancestors,  who  flourished  about  thirteen  hundred  years  ago- 
The  Indian  names  of  several  of  the  streams,  brooks,  mountains  and 
rocks,  of  Florida,  are  also  the  same  which  are  given  to  similar  ob- 
jects, in  the  highlands  of  Scotland. 

This  celebrated  metaphysician,  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  an- 
ciently reported  account,  of  America's  having  been  visited  by  a  co- 
lony from  Wales,  long  previous  to  the  discovery  of  Columbus ;  and 
says  the  fact  is  recorded  by  several  Welch  Irstorians,  which  cannot 
be  contested.  It  is  reported  by  travellers  in  the  west;  that  on  the 
Red  river,  which  has  its  origin  north  of  Spanish  Texas,  but  emp- 
ties into  the  Mississippi,  running  through  Louisiana ;  that  on  this 
river,  very  far  to  the  south-west,  a  tribe  of  Indians  has  been  found, 
whose  manners  in  several  respects,  resemble  the  Welch,  especially 
in  their  marriage  and  funeral  ceremonies.  They  call  themselves 
the  McCedus  tribe,  which  having  the  Mc  or  Mack  attached  to  their 
name,  points  evidently  to  a  European  origin,  of  the  Celtic  description. 
It  is  further  reported  by  travellers,  that  north-west  from  the  head 
waters  of  the  Red  river,  which  would  be  in  the  region  called  the 
great  American  desert,  Indians  have  come  down  to  the  white  set- 
tlements, some  thirty  or  forty  years  since,  who  spoke  the  Welch 
language  quite  int'.^lligibly.  These  Indians,  bearing  such  strong 
evidence  of  Welch  extraction,  may  possibly  be  descended  from  the 
Inst  colony  from  Wales,  an  account  of  which  is  given  in  Powel's 
History  of  Wales  in  the  12th  century  ;  which  relates  that  Prince 
Madoc,  weary  of  contending  with  a  brother  for  his  father's  crown, 
left  his  country,  and  sailed  from  Wales  a  due  west  course,  which,  if 
they  came  to  land  at  all  must  have  been  Newfoundland,  which  lies 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  exactly  in  latitude 


ib  -t 


w 

r 


It  I  m 


ita^.r 


'K  ''■;?. 


'\'  '^^ 


233 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


60  degrees  riorth,  which  is  contiguous  to  this  continent.  But  the 
account  relates  that  he  discovered  an  unkno\vn  country  ;  that  he  re- 
turned to  Wales,  and  give  sucli  a  favorable  history  of  his  discove- 
ries and  of  the  goodness  of  the  land,  that  many  ^vere  induced  to 
embark  with  him  on  his  second  voyage,  which  he  accomplished. 
He  returned  again  to  Wales,  but  after  a  while  sailed  a  third  time 
to  his  newly  discovered  country,  but  has  never  since  been  heard  of. 

The  same  account  as  above,  is  here  again  related,  but  with  other 
circumstances  attencl'ng.  "  In  the  year  1170,"  which  was  as  be- 
fore stated,  in  the  12tli  century,"  Madoc,  son  of  Owen  Groynwedk, 
Prince  of  Wales,  dissatisfied  with  the  situation  of  affairs  at  homej 
left  his  country,  as  related  by  the  Welch  historian,  in  quest  of  some 
new  place  to  settle.  And  leaving  Ireland  to  the  north,  proceeded 
west,  till  he  discovered  a  fertile  country  ;  where  leaving  a  colony, 
he  returned,  and  persuading  many  of  his  countrymen  to  join  him, 
put  to  sea  with  ten  ships,  and  was  never  more  heard  of. 

We  are  not  in  the  belief  that  all  the  tribes  of  the  west,  who  have 
the  name  of  Indian,  are  indeed  such.  There  are  many  tribes  which 
have  been  discovered  in  the  western  region,  as  on  the  Red  River, 
in  the  great  American  desert,  west  of  the  head  waters  of  that  river, 
and  in  wilds  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains  ;  who  are  evidently  not 
of  the  Tartar  stock,  whose  complexion,  language,  and  bearded  faces, 
show  them  to  be  of  other  descent. 

The  Indians  who  were  living  on  the  river  Taunton,  in  Massa- 
chusetts, when  the  whites  first  settled  there,  had  a  tradition  that 
certain  strangers  once  sailed  up  Asoonset,  or  Taunton  river,  in 
wooden  houses,  and  conquered  the  red  men.  This  tradition  does 
not  go  to  lessen  the  probability  of  the  expedition  of  the  Welch  fleet, 
as  above  related,  but  greatly  to  strengthen  it. 

This  account  of  the  Welch  expedition,  has  several  times  drawn 
the  attention  of  the  world  ;  but  as  no  vestiges  of  them  has  been 
found,  it  was  concluded,  perhaps  too  rashly,  to  be  a  fable  ;  or  at 
least,  that  no  remains  of  the  colony  exist.     Of  late  years,  however, 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


233 


western  settlers  have  received  frequent  accounts  of  a  nation  inhabit- 
ing at  a  great  distance  up  the  Missouri,  in  manners  and  appearance 
<  resembling  the  other  Indians,  but  speaking  Welch,  and  retaining 
some  ceremonies  of  the  Christian  worship  ;  and,  at  length,  says  Im- 
lay  in  his  work  entitled  luilc/'s  America,  this  is  universally  be- 
leived  to  be  a  fact. 

iiear  the  falls  of  Ohio,  six  brass  ornaments,  such  as  soldiers  usu- 
ally wear  in  front  of  their  belts,  was  dug  up,  attached  to  six  skele- 
letons.  They  were  cast  metal,  and  on  one  of  them  which  was 
brought  to  Cincinnati,  was  represented  a  mermaid^  playing  upon  a 
harp,  which  was  the  ancient  coat  of  arras  for  the  principality  of 
Wales.  The  tradition  from  the  eldest  Indians,  is,  that  it  was  at  the 
falls  of  Ohio,  that  the  first  white  people  were  cut  off  by  the  natives. 
It  is  well  authenticated  that  upwards  of  thirty  years  ago,  Indians 
came  to  Kaskaskia,  in  the  territory,  now  the  state  of  Illinois,  who 

spoke  the  Welch  dialect,  and  were  perfectly  understood  by  two 

f 
Welchmen,  then  there,  who  conversed  with  them.  From  informa- 
tion to  be  relied  on,  tomb  stones,  and  other  monuments  of  the  ex- 
istence of  such  a  people,  have  been  found,  with  the  "ear  engraved, 
corresponding  very  near  to  that  given  above,  being  in  the  12th 
century. — Meth.  Magazine  for  1820,  Vol.  S^  page  182. 

But  long  before  this  lost  colony  left  Wales,  Lord  Monboddo  says, 
America  was  visited  by  some  Norwegians,  from  Greenland,  who,  it 
was  well  known,  were  the  discoverers  of  Greenland,  in  964,  A.  D. 
and  on  that  very  account,  it  might  be  safely  supposed,  they  would 
push  their  discoveries  still  farther  west. 

Accordingly,  his  Lurdship  says,  the  Norwegians  having  made  a 
settlement  in  Greenland,  in  the  end  of  the  tenth  century,  some  adven- 
turers from  thence  about  that  time,  which  would  be  about  eight 
hundred  years  ago,  discovered,  or  rather,  visited.  North  America ; 
for  this  writer  supposes  the  continent  to  have  been  known  to  the 
people  of  the  old  world,  as  early  as  the  time  of  the  siege  of  Troy ; 

which  was  about  eleven  hundred  years  before  Christ ;  about  the 

30 


234 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


time  of  Solomon,  or  rather,  an  hundred  years  before  the  time  of 
that  king. 

This  is  a  point  at  which  the  publication  of  this  work  aims ;  viz  : 
to  establish  that  this  part  of  the  earth  was  settled  as  soon  after  the 
flood,  as  any  other  country  as  far  from  Ararat,  and  perhaps  sooner. 

Lord  Monboddo  says,  these  Greenland  Norwegian  adventurers, 
made  a  settlement  about  the  mouth  of  the  River  St.  Lawrence ; 
where  having  found  wild  grapes,  a  German  among  them  named  the 
country  Vinland,  as  is  related  in  the  history  of  this  discovery.  Mr 
Irving,  in  his  late  life  of  Columbus,  says,  that  as  the  Norwegians 
had  never  seen  the  grape  vine,  did  not  know  what  it  was,  but  there 
being  a  German  with  them,  who  was  acquainted  with  the  grape  of 
his  o\vn  native  country,  told  them  its  name,  from  which  they  na- 
med it  as  above. 

This  account  is  recorded  in  the  Annals  of  Iceland ;  which  was 
peopled  from  Norway,  which  is  the  North  of  Europe ;  and  from 
Iceland  the  cokny  came,  that  settled  in  Greenland,  from  thence  to 
the  mouth  of  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  about  the  year  1000  A.  D. 
If  such  was  the  fact,  there  is  nothing  more  natural,  than  that  they 
may  have  pursued  up  that  river,  even  to  the  lakes,  and  have  set- 
tled .around  them,  and  on  the  islands  in  the  St.  Lawrence.  There 
is  an  island  in  that  river,  called  Chimney  Island,  so  named,  on  ac- 
count of  the  discovery  of  ancient  cellars  and  fire  places,  evidently 
more  ancient  than  the  first  acquaintance  of  the  French  with  that 
country,  which  we  suppose  to  have  been  made  by  these  Norwegians. 

This  Scottish  author,  in  his  admired  work  on  the  origin  and  pro- 
gress of  language,  as  well  as  in  other  works  of  his,  relates  a  vast 
number  of  curious  and  interesting  circumstances,  which  relate  to 
our  subject ;  one  of  the  most  remarkable,  is  an  account  of  an  In- 
dian mummy,  discovered  in  Florida,  wrapped  up  in  a  cloth  manu- 
factured from  the  bark  of  trees,  and  adorned  with  hieroglyphicat 
characters,  precisely  the   same,  with   characters  engraved  on  a 


AND    UlSCOVLRIES    IN    ""E   WEST. 


235 


% 


on  a 


metal  plate,  found  in  an  ancient  burying  ground,  in  one  of  the  He- 
bride  islands,  north  of  Scotland. 

This  country,  (Scotland)  boasts  of  the  most  ancient  Hue  of  kings 
that  have  reigned  in  Europe,  liaving  settled  in  Scotland,  more  than 
three  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era,  in  the  time  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great.  They  are  of  Cimbrick  Chersonese  origin,  who 
are  derived  probably,  from  some  wandering  tribe,  descended  from 
Japheth,  the  white  son  of  Noah,  whose  independence,  the  Greeks 
nor  Romans  were  ever  able,  in  their  widespread  conquests,  to  wrest 
from  them  ;  this  Avas  reserved  for  the  English  to  accouiplish,  which 
was  done  in  1603. 

These  islands,  therefore,  north  and  west  of  Scotland,  became 
peopled  by  their  descendants  at  an  early  day.  Their  hardiness  of 
constitution,  perseverance  of  character,  and  adventuring  disposition, 
favours,  in  the  strongest  sense,  the  accounts  as  recorded  in  their  na- 
tional documents.  And  a  reason  why  those  documents  have  not 
come  to  light  sooner,  is,  because  they  were  penned  some  hundred 
years  before  the  invention  of  printing ;  and  laid  up  in  the  cabinet 
of  some  Norwegian  chief,  at  a  time  when  but  few  could  read  at  all, 
jind  the  means  of  information  did  not  exist,  to  be  compared  with 
the  facilities  of  the  present  time  :  therefore,  it  has  been  reserved  to 
this  late  era,  to  unravel  the  mysteries  of  antiquity. 

In  the  work  entitled  "  Irving's  life  of  Columbus,"  is  an  account 
of  the  discovery  of  this  continent,  by  those  northern  islanders,  giyen 
in  a  more  circumstantial  and  detailed  manner.  See  Appendix  to 
the  3d  volume,  page  292,  as  follows. 

"  The  most  plausible,"  or  credible  "  account"  respecting  those 
discoveries,  "  is  given  by  Snoro  Sturleson,  or  Sturloins,  in  his  Saga, 
or  Chronicle  of  king  Olaus.  According  to  this  writer,  one  Biorn, 
of  Iceland,  voyaging  to  Greenland,  in  search  of  his  father,  (torn 
whom  he  had  been  separated  by  a  storm,  was  driven  by  tempestu- 
ous weather,  far  to  the  south-west,  until  he  came  in  sight  of  a  low 
country,  covered  with  woods,  with  an  island  in  its  vicinity.     The 


336 


iMtRICAN    ANTIUL'ITUuS 


'W'. 


weather  becoming  favoiirable  he  turned  to  the  north-east  without 
landing,  and  arrived  safe  at  Greenland.  His  account  of  the  coun- 
try he  had  seen,  it  is  said,  excited  the  enterprise  of  Lief,  son  of 
Eric  Rauda,  (or  red  head)  the  first  settler  of  Greenland.  A  ves- 
sel was  fitted  out,  and  I^ief  and  Biorn  departed  together  in  quest  of 
this  unknown  land.  They  found  a  rocky  and  sterile  island,  to 
which  they  gave  the  name  of  Helleland ;  also  a  low,  sandy  coun- 
try, covered  with  wood,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Markland  ; 
and  two  days  afterwards,  they  observed  a  continuance  of  the  coast, 
with  an  island  to  the  north  of  it.  This  last  they  described  as  fer- 
tile, well  wooded,  producing  agreeable  fruits,  and  particularly 
grapes ;  a  fruit  with  which  they  were  not  acquainted  ;  but  on  being 
informed  by  one  of  their  companions,  a  German,  of  its  qualities 
and  name,  they  called  the  country  from  it,  Vinland. 

They  ascended  a  river  well  stored  with  fish,  particularly  salmon, 
and  came  to  a  lake  from  which  the  river  took  its  origin,  where  they 
passed  the  winter." 

It  is  very  probable  this  river  was  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  it  abound- 
ed with  Salmon,  and  was  the  outlet  of  a  lake,  which,  it  is  likely, 
was  Ontario  ;  there  is  no  other  river  capable  of  being  navigated, 
very  far  from  its  mouth,  with  a  sea  vessel,  and  which  comes  from  a 
lake,  and  empties  into  the  sea,  on  that  side  of  the  coast,  but  the  St. 
I^awrence. 

The  climate  appeared  to  them  mild  and  pleasant,  in  comparison, 
being  accustomed  to  the  more  rigorous  seasons  of  the  north ;  on  the 
shortest  day  in  the  winter,  the  sun  was  but  eight  hours  above  the 
horizon ;  hence  it  has  been  concluded,  that  the  country  was  about 
the  49th  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  was  either  Newfoundland,  or 
some  part  of  the  coast  of  North  America,  about  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence.  It  is  said  in  tho.se  Chronicles  of  Sturloins,  that  the  re- 
latives of  Lief  made  several  voyages  to  Vinland  ;  that  they  traded 
with  the  natives  for  peltry  and  furs;  and  that  in  1121,  a  bishop, 
named  Eric,  went  from  Greenland  to  Vinland,  to  convert  the  inha- 
bitants to  Christianity. 


AND  RrsrOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


237 


A  knowledge  of  (.'liristianity  amonjj;  the  savnge  Briton,  Caledo- 
nians and  the  Welch,  was  introduced,  as  is  snpjjosed,  by  St.  Paul, 
or  some  of  his  disciples,  as  early  as  the  year  of  our  Lord  63,  more 
than  seventeen  hundred  years  ago. 

"  From  this  time,  about  1121,  we  know  nothing  of  Vinland,  says 
Forester,  in  liis  book  of  northern  voyages,  3d  vol.  2d  chap,  page, 
30,  as  quoted  by  Irving.  There  is  every  appearance  that  the  tribe, 
which  still  exists  in  the  interior  of  Newfoundland,  and  who  are  so 
diflerent  from  the  other  savages  of  North  America  both  in  their 
appearance  and  mode  of  living,  and  always  in  a  state  of  warfare 
with  the  Indians  of  the  northern  coast,  are  descendants  of  the  an- 
r-ient  Normans,  Scandinavians,  or  Danes." 

In  the  chronicles  of  these  northern  nations,  there  is  also  an  ac- 
count of  the  voyage  of  four  boat  crews,  in  the  year  1354,  which 
corroborates  th  foregoing  relations.  This  little  squadron  of  fishing 
boats,  "  being  overtaken  by  a  mighty  tempest,  were  driven  about 
the  sea  for  many  days,  until  a  boat,  containing  seven  persons,  was 
cast  upon  an  island,  called  Estotiland,  about  one  thousand  miles 
from  Friesland.  They  were  taken  by  the  inhabitants  and  carried 
to  a  fair  and  populous  city,  where  the  king  sent  for  many  interpre- 
ters, to  converse  with  them,  but  none  that  they  could  understand, 
until  a  man  was  found  who  likewise  had  been  cast  upon  that  coast 
some  time  before.  They  remained  several  days  upon  the  island, 
which  was  rich  and  fruitful.  The  inhabitants  were  intelligent  and 
acquainted  with  the  mechanical  arts  of  Europe  ;  they  cultivated 
grain,  made  beer,  and  Hved  in  houses  built  of  stone. 

There  were  Latin  books  in  the  king's  library,  though  the  inha- 
bitants had  no  knowledge  of  that  language  ;"  and  in  manuscript, 
as  the  art  of  printing  was  not  yet  discovered.  They  had  many  towns 
and  castles,  and  carried  on  a  trade  with  Greenland,  for  pitch,  sul- 
phur and  peltry.  Though  much  given  to  navigation,  they  were 
ignorant  of  the  use  of  the  compass,  and  finding  the  Frieslanders 
acquainted  with  it,  held  them  in  great  esteem  ;  and  the  king  sent 


I 


2.'18 


A..Mr,Rll\>f    ANTIQI  ITIKS 


fhnm,  \\i{\\  Iwelvf  harks,  to  visit  a  country  to  the  fjouth,  ralh'd 
Drogco."  Orogco  is,  most  likely,  a  Norman  name  ;  as  we  lind 
Drogo  was  a  leader  of  the  Normans  against  the  ancient  baronies  of 
Italy,  about  the  year  of  our  Lord  7S7.  Drogeo  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  continent  of  America.  This  voyage  of  the  fishing  squa- 
don,  it  appears,  was  in  1354,  more  than  fifty  years  after  the  disco- 
very of  the  magnetic  needle,  which  was  in  130!). 

"  They  had  nearly  perished  in  this  storm,  but  were  oast  away 
upon  the  coast  of  Drogeo.  They  found  the  people  cannibals  and 
were  on  the  point  of  being  killed  and  devoured,  (these  were  our 
Indians,)  but  wen;  .spared  on  account  of  their  great  skill  in  fishing 
Drogeo  they  found  to  be  a  country  of  vast  extent,  or  rather  a  new 
li'orld ;  that  the  inhabitants  were  naked  and  barbarous  ;  but  that 
far  to  the  southwest  there  was  a  more  civilized  region  and  tempe- 
rate climate,  wlitic  the  inhabitants  had  a  knowledge  of  gold  and 
silver,  lived  in  cities,  erected  splendid  temples  to  idols,  and  sacri- 
ficed human  victims  to  them."  This  is  a  true  picture  of  the  Mex- 
icans, as  found  by  Cortcz,  the  Spanish  conqueror  of  Mexico. 

♦'  After  the  fisherman,"  who  relates  this  account,  "  had  resided 
many  years  on  the  continent  of  Drogeo,  during  which  time  he  had 
passed  from  the  service  of  one  chieftain  to  another,  and  tra^-ersed 
various  parts  of  it,  certain  boats  of  Estotiland,  (now  supposed  to  be 
Newfoundland,)  arrived  on  the  coast  of  Drogeo.  The  fisherman 
got  on  board  of  them,  and  acted  as  interpreter,[|nnd  followed  the 
trade  between  the  main  land  of  Drogeo  and  the  island  Estotiland,  for 
some  time,  until  he  became  very  rich  ;  then  he  fitted  out  a  bark 
of  his  own,  and  with  the  assistance  of  some  of  the  people  of  the  isl- 
and, made  his  way  back  across  the  intervening  distance  between 
Drogeo  and  bis  native  country,  Friesland,  in  Germany. 

The  account  he  gave  of  this  country,  determined  Zichmni,  the 
prince  of  Friesland,  to  send  an  expedition  tither  ;  and  Antonio 
Zeno,  a  Venitian,  was  to  command  it.  Just  before  starting,  the 
fisherman,  who  was  to  have  acted  as  pilot ;  3te<l,  but  certain  mari- 


ii>U    UISCOVERIKii    I.N    THE    nKST. 


239 


Ini,  the 

Lntonio 

k,  the 

mari- 


ners who  accoinpauiocl  hitn  fruin  Estutiland,  were  taken  in  his 
phic*'.  The  expedition  sailed  under  command  of  Zichrani  ;  the 
Venitian  Zeno  merely  accompanied  it.  It  was  unsuccessful.  Af- 
ter haviuT;  discovered  an  island,  called  Icario,  where  they  met  with 
a  rough  reception  from  the  inhabitants,  and  were  obliged  to  with- 
draw, the  ships  were  driven  by  storm  to  Greenland. 

No  record  remains  of  any  further  prosecution  of  the  enterprise. 
Tiie  countries  mentioned  in  the  account  written  by  this  Zeno,  were 
laid  down  on  a  map  originally  on  wood.  The  island  Estotiland, 
has  been  supposed  by  M.  Malte-Urun,  to  be  Newfoundland  ;  its 
partially  civilized  inhabitants,  the  descendants  of  the  Scandinavian 
colonists  of  Vinland,  and  the  Latin  books  in  manuscript,  found  in 
the  kin][»\s  library,  belonged  to  the  remains  of  the  library  of  the 
Greenland  bishop,  who  emigrated  thither  in  1121. 

Drogeo,  according  to  tlic  same  cojijecture,  was  Nova  Scotia  and 
New-England;  the  civilized  people  to  the  southwest,  who  sacrific- 
ed human  beinys  in  rich  temples,  he  supposes  to  have  been  tlie 
]\[exicans,  or  some  ancient  nations  of  Florida  or  Louisiana.. 

\  distinguished  writer  of  Copenhagen,  it  is  said,  was,  not  long 
since,  engaged  in  the  composition  of  a  work  on  the  early  voyages 
of  discovery  of  this  continent,  as  undertaken  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  north  of  Europe,  more  than  eight  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago. 
He  has  in  his  hands,  genuine  ancient  documents,  the  examination 
of  which  leads  to  curious  and  surprising  results.  They  furnish  va- 
rious and  unquestionable  evidence,  not  only  that  the  coast  of  North 
America  was  discovered  soon  after  the  discovery  of  Greeland  by 
northern  explorers,  a  part  of  whom  remained  there  ;  and  that  it  was 
again  visited  in  the  eleventh,  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  but 
also  that  Christianity  was  introduced  among  the  Lidians  of  Ame- 
rica. The  documents  of  this  writer  furnish  even  a  map,  cut  in 
wood,  of  the  northern  coast  of  America,  and  also  an  account  of  the 
sea  coast  south  as  far  down  as  to  the  Carolinas,  and  that  a  principal 
station  of  the.se  adventurers  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  St.  Law- 
rence, 


240 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


I 


He  says  it  was  in  the  yeai  985,  that  America  was  first  discover- 
ed by  Baiske  Her  Juefser,  but  that  he  did  not  land  ;  and  that  in  the 
year  1000,  the  coast  was  visited  by  a  man  named  Lief,  a  son  of 
Eric  the  Redf  who  colonised  Greenland. — Cabinet  of  Lit.  vol.  3. 

From  the  discoveries  of  Baron  Humboldt,  in  South  America,  it 
would  appear  that  the  continent  of  America  has  indeed  been  not  on- 
ly visited  by  the  northern  nations  of  Europe,  at  a  very  early  day, 
but  also  to  have  settled  on  it,  and  to  have  become  the  head  of  tribes, 
nations  and  kingdoms,  as  follows  :  In  the  kingdom  of  Guatimala, 
South  America,  the  descendants  of  the  original  inhabitants  pre- 
serve traditions  which  go  back  to  the  epoch  of  a  great  deluge,  after 
which  their  ancestors,  led  by  a  chief  called  Votan,  had  come  from 
a  country  lying  toward  the  north.  As  late  as  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, in  a  village  in  Guatimala,  there  were  of  the  natives  who  boast- 
ed their  descent  from  the  family  of  Votan,  or  Vodan.  "  They  who 
have  studied  the  history  of  the  Scandinavian  (old  Norway)  nations, 
says  Humboldt,  in  the  heroic  times,  must  be  struck  at  finding  in 
Mexico  a  name  which  recalls  that  of  Vodan  or  Odin,  who  reigned 
among  the  Scythians,  and  whose  race,  according  to  the  very  re- 
markable assertion  of  Bede,  (an  ecclesiastical  historian  of  the  17th 
century,)  gave  kings  to  a  great  number  of  nations."  This  wonder- 
fully corroborates  the  opinion  of  America's  having  been  settled  in 
several  parts  by  Europeans,  at  a  period  more  ancient  than  even  the 
history  of  Europe  can  boast. 

The  Shawanese  tribe  of  Indians,  who  now  live  in  Ohio,  once 
lived  on  the  Suaney  river,  in  West  Florida,  near  the  shores  of  the 
southwest  end  of  the  gulf  of  Mexico  ;  among  these  Indians,  says 
Mr.  Atwater,  there  is  a  tndition,  that  Florida  had  once  been  inha- 
bited by  white  people,  who  had  the  use  of  iron  tools.  Their  oldest 
Indians  say,  when  children,  they  had  often  heard  it  spoken  of  by 
the  old  people  of  the  tribe,  that  anciently  stumps  of  trees,  covered 
with  earth,  were  frequently  found,  which  had,been  cut  down  by 
edged  tools — Am.  Ant.  Re.  p.  273.     And  that  whoever  they  were, 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN    THE  WEST. 


241 


p,  says 

inha- 

oldest 

of  by 

jvered 

|wn  by 
were, 


or  from  whatever  country  they  may  have  originated,  the  account, 
as  given  by  Morse,  the  geographer,  of  the  subterranean  wall  found 
in  North  CaroHna,  goes  very  far  to  show,  they  had  a  knowledge  of 
iron  ore  ;  and  consequently  knew  how  to  work  it,  or  they  could 
not  have  had  iron  tools,  as  the  Shawanese  Indians  relate. 

Morse's  account  is  as  follows  :  "  In  Rowan  county,  about  'ten 
miles  southwest  from  Salsbury,  two  hundred  from  the  sea,  and  se- 
venty from  the  mountains  which  run  across  the  western  end  of  the 
state,  is  found  a  remarkable  subterraneous  wall.  It  stands  on  une- 
ven ground,  near  a  small  brook.  The  stones  of  the  wall  are  all  o 
one  kind,  and  contrJn  iron  ore.  They  are  of  various  sizes,  bu  ge- 
nerally weighing  about  four  pounds.  All  are  of  a  long  figure,  com- 
monly seven  inches  in  length,  sometimes  twelve.  The  ends  of  the 
stones  form  the  sides  of  the  wall  ;  some  of  these  ends  are  square, 
others  nearly  of  the  form  of  a  parallelogram,  triangle,  rhombus  or 
rhomboides  ;  but  most  of  them  are  irregular.  Some  preserve  their 
dimensions  through  the  whole  length,  others  terminate  like  a  wedge. 
The  alternate  position  of  great  and  little  ends,  aids  in  keeping  the 
work  square.  The  surface  of  some  is  plain,  of  some  concave,  of 
others  convex.  The  concave  stone  is  furnished  with  »me  convex, 
so  as  to  suit  each  other.  Where  the  stones  are  not  firm,  or  shelly, 
they  are  curiously  Avedged  in  with  others  The  most  irregular  are 
thrown  into  the  middle  of  the  wall.  Every  stone  is  covered  with 
cement,  which,  next  to  the  stone,  has  the  appearance  of  iron  rnst. 
Where  it  is  thin,  the  rust  has  penetrated  through.  Sometimes  the 
cement  is  an  inch  thick,  and  where  wet,  has  the  fine,  soft,  oily 
feeling  of  putty.  The  thickness  of  the  wall  is  uniformly  twenty- 
two  inches,  the  length  discovered  is  rising  of  eighteen  rods,  and  the 
height  twelve  or  fourteen  feet.  Botli  sides  of  this  is  plastered  with 
the  substance  in  which  the  stones  are  laid.  The  top  of  the  wall 
appears  to  ruil  nearly  parallel  with  the  top  of  the  ground,  being  ge- 
nerally about  a  foot  below  the  surface.     In  one  place  it  is  several 

feet.     There  is  a  bend  or  curve  of  six  feet  or  more,  after  which  it 
■     ^  31 


242 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


proceeds  in  its  former  direction.  The  whole  appears  to  be  formed 
in  the  most  skilful  manner.  Six  or  eight  miles  from  this  wall  an- 
other has  been  since  discovered,  forty  feet  long,  four  and  five  feet 
high,  seven  inches  thick  only.  The  stones  of  this  wall  are  all  of 
one  length." — Universal  Geography,  p.  615. 

In  the  state  of  Tennessee,  which  is  situated  exactly  on  the  west- 
ern end  of  North  Carolina,  are  also  found  the  "  vestiges  and  re- 
mains of  ancient  dwellings,  towns  and  fortifications,  with  mounds, 
barrows,  utensils,  and  images,  wherever  the  soil  is  of  prime  quality 
and  convenient  to  water." 

The  bodies  of  two  of  these  people  were  discovered  in  the  autumn 
of  1810,  in  Warren  county,  in  the  state  of  Tennessee  ;  one  of  a 
man,  the  other  of  a  child,  to  appearance  about  four  yea|»^#ld.  They 
were  four  feet  below  the  surface,  in  a  situation  perfectly  dry ;  there 
being  a  mixture  of  copperas,  alum,  sulphur,  and  nitre,  in  the  soil 
that  covered  them.  Their  skin  was  preserved,  though  its  original 
complexion  could  not  be  asceitained  ;  but  the  hair  of  their  heads 
was  of  an  auburn  shade.  The  child  was  dejrosited  in  a  basket, 
well  wrought  of  smooth  splits  of  reed,  {arundo  (jiguuticu,)  and  se- 
veral singular  species  of  cloth,  as  well  as  deer  skins,  dressed  and 
undressed,  were  wrapped  round  and  deposited  with  them,  and  two 
feather  fans,  and  a  curious  belt. — Morse 

From  the  discovery  of  those  two  bodies,  we  think  we  ascertain 
the  inhabitants  to  have  been  white,  like  the  Europeans,  from  the 
colour  of  their  hair  ;  as  it  is  well  known  the  Australasians,  Poly- 
nesians and  Malays,  as  well  as  the  common  Indians,  have  univer- 
aatly  black,  long  and  shining  hair.  The  body  which  is  mentioned 
by  Professor  Mitchell,  late  of  New-Yoik,  discovered  in  a  nitrous 
cave,  in  the  western  country,  had  red  or  sandy  hair  ;  such  was  the 
colour  of  the  hair  of  the  Scandinavians  of  the  north  of  Europe,  and 
are  supposed,  upon  anthority  indubitable,  to  have  settled  at  Onon- 
daga, and  round  about  that  region.  See  toward  the  close  of  this 
work 


kyu   DISCOVERIES   m    THE    WEST. 


243 


I'he  wall  discovered  in  North  Carolina,  as  related  above,  ii 
doubtless  a  pari  of  a  wall  built  for  the  defence  of  a  town  or  city  ; 
the  rest  may  have  been  thrown  down  by  an  enemy,  or  it  may 
have  b<»en  never  finished.  The  regular  manner  in  which  it  was 
built  and  laid  in  mortar,  shows  a  considerable  knowledge  of  mason- 
ry. This  is  by  no  means  very  extraordinary,  as  in  Europe  a  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  the  arts  was  in  possession  of  the  people  of 
that  country,  derived  from  the  Romans,  who  had  subdued  all  the 
island  of  England,  and  abandoned  the  country,  some  hundred  years 
before  the  time  of  the  Welch  expedition  to  the  west  of  Europe,  as 
w:  shall  relate  by  and  by. 

What  traits  of  iron  instruments  are  found  scattered  over  this  coun- 
try, except  such  as  have  been  buried  or  lost  in  conflicts  and  battles 
with  I'Ki  '.  ^'rir-s,  since  the  discovery  of  the  country  by  Columbus, 
is  to  be'"t  Hv  .n,.d  to  these  Scandinavian  and  Welch  settlers  from 
the  old  country  ;  the  latter  about  the  ninth  or  tenth  century,  and 
the  former  long  before. 

If  the  Welch,  as  we  shall  show,  a  few  pages  hence,  found  this 
country  about  the  year  950,  there  was  time  enough  for  them  to 
have  establashed  themselves  in  many  parts,  and  to  have  built  them- 
selves towns  and  cultivated  the  earth  to  a  great  extent ;  as  from 
about  950,  till  its  discovery  by  Columbus,  in  1492,  would  be  not 
far  from  542  years  ;  a  longer  time  than  has  elapsed  since  its  last 
discovery  ;  and  also  time  enough  for  their  deserted  works  to  be- 
come covered  with  forests,  as  they  are  found  of  four  and  five  hun- 
dred years  age. 

According  to  Morse,  the  ancestors  of  the  Welch  were  the  Cim- 
bri,  or  northern  Celts,  but  he  says  the  Goths  from  Asia  having 
seized  on  Germany,  and  a  great  part  of  Gaul  or  France,  gradually 
repelled  the  Celts,  and  placed  colonies  on  the  island  of  Britain, 
three  or  four  centuries  before  the  Christian  era  ;  that  the  Romans 
found  many  tribes  of  the  Belgae,  or  ancient  Germans,  when  they 
first  invaded  that  island  j  consequently,  not  only  the  Welch,  but 


344 


AMERICAN   /NTIQUITIES 


:!   ,i 


the  English  also  had  in  part  the  Goths,  or  ancient  Germ»sn8,  for 
their  ancestors,  and  were  the  people  who,  as  well  as  the  Scandina- 
vians, discovered  America,  and  settled  here.     From  this  view,  we 
see  the  propriety  in  the  tradition,  which,  in  another  place  of  this 
volume,  we  have  related,  as  being  printed  in  a  Dutch  Bible,  more 
than  two  hundred  years  ago  in  Germany,  where  it  is  said  the  Ger- 
mans discovered  America,  and  became  amalgamated  with  the  In- 
dians.    It  may  be,  that  from  such  causes  as  these,  are  found,  far 
to    the  west,    several  tribes  of   white  Indians,    originated   from 
Welch,   German   and   Scandinavian   ancestors  ;  who  well  might 
he  supposed   to    have   had  not    only   a  knowledge  of  masonry, 
sufficient  to  build  walls,  but  of  iron  also  ;  the  traits  of  which  are 
found  in  many  parts,  sufficiently  marked  by  oxydization,  to  throw 
the  time  of  their  formation  beyond  the  last  discovery  of  America. 

On  the  river  Gasconade,  which  empties  into  the  Missouri,  on  the 
southern  side,  are  found  the  traces  of  ancient  works,  similar  to  those 
in  North  Carolina.     In  the  saltpetre  caves  of  that  region,  and  Gas- 
conade county  in  particular,  was  discovered,  when  they  were  first 
visited,  axes  and  hammers  made  of  iron  ;  which  led  to  the  belief  that 
they  had  formerly  worked  those  caves  for  the  sake  of  the  nitre.    Dr. 
Beck,  from  whose  Gazetteer  of  Missouri  and  Illinois,  page  234,  we 
have  this  account,  remarks,  however, "  it  is  difficull  to  decide  whe- 
ther these  tools  were  left  there  by  the  present  race  of  Indians,  or  a 
more  civilized  race  of  people."    He  says  it  is  unusual  for  the  sa- 
vages of  our  day,  to  take  up  their  residence  in  caves  ;  considering 
them  the  places  to  which  the  devil  resorts  ;  and  that  they  are  not 
acquainted  with  the  uses  of  saltpetre,  and  would  rather  avoid  tlian 
collect  it.     This  author  considers  the  circumstance  of  finding  those 
tools  in  the  nitre  caves,  as  furnishing  a  degree  of  evidence  that  the 
country  of  the  Gasconade  river  was  formerly  settled  by  a  race  of 
men  who  were  acquainted  with  the  use  of  iron,  and  exceeded  the 
Indians  in  civilization,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  arts. 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


945 


"  But  there  are  other  facts,"  says  he,  "  connected  with  these, 
ahout  which  there  can  be  no  mistake.  Not  far  from  this  cave^  i$ 
found  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  town.  It  appears  to  have  been  regu- 
larly laid  out,  and  the  dimensions  of  the  squares,  streets,  and  some 
of  the  houses,  can  yet  be  discovered. 

Stone  walls  are  found  in  different  parts  of  the  area,  which  are 
frequently  covered  with  huge  heaps  of  earth.  Missouri  joins  Ten- 
nessee on  the  west,  the  same  as  the  latter  does  North  Carolina ;  and 
from  a  similarity  of  the  works  discovered,  it  would  appear,  that  a 
population,  similar  in  manners  and  pursuits,  inhabited  a  vast  region 
of  country,  from  the  Atlantic  side  of  North  Carolina,  to  the  Mis- 
souri Territory. 

These  discoveries  rank  with  the  architectural  works  of  Europe, 
in  the  9th  and  10th  centuries;  as  that  long  before  that  period,  the 
use  of  stone  work  had  been  introduced,  even  in  the  island  of  Bri- 
tain, by  the  all  conquering  bands  of  the  Romans. 

If,  therefore,  the  Danes,  Welch,  Normans,  Icelanders,  Green- 
landers,  or  Scandinavians,  settled  in  this  country,  who  are  all  of 
much  the  same  origin,  there  need  be  no  great  mystery  respecting 
these  discoveries,  as  they  are  to  be  referred  to  those  nations  from 
Europe,  beyond  all  doubt.  The  ancient  monuments  of  a  country, 
says  Dr.  Morse,  are  intimately  connected  with  the  epochs  of  its  his- 
tory ;  consequently,  as  the  state  of  masonry,  or  the  knowledge  of 
stone  work,  discovered,  as  above  described,  in  North  Carolina,  Ten- 
nessee, and  Missouri,  is  of  the  same  chatacter  with  those  of  Eu- 
rope, about  the  time  of  the  9th,  10th,  11th,  and  12th  centuries,  we 
conclude  them  to  be  wholly  of  European  origin. 

About  ten  miles  from  the  spot  where  the  relics  of  this  town  are 
discovered,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Gasconade  river,  is  also  found 
another  stone  work,  still  more  extraordinary,  as  it  is  evident  that  its 
builders  had,  indeed,  a  competent  knowledge  of  constructing  build- 
ings of  that  material.      It  is  about  thirty  feet  square,  and  although 


246 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIE* 


in  a  dilapidated  condition,  appears  to  have  been  erected  with  a 
great  degree  of  regularity.  It  is  situated  on  a  high  bold  cliff,  which 
commands  a  fine  and  extensive  view  of  the  country  on  all  sides. 
From  this  stone  work  was  found  a  foot  path,  running  a  devious 
course  down  the  cliff,  to  the  entrance  of  a  cave,  in  which  was  found 
a  quantity  of  ashes.  These  antiquities  evidently  form  a  di.stinct 
class,  says  Dr.  Beck,  of  which,  as  yet,  he  had  seen  no  description. 

Of  the  same  class  has  been  discovered  on  Noyer  Creek,  in  Mis- 
souri, the  foundation  of  a  large  stone  building,  fifty  feet  in  length, 
and  twenty-two  in  breadth,  divided  into  four  apartments.  The  lar- 
gest room  occupies  about  one  half  of  the  whole  building,  and  is 
nearly  square ;  a  second  in  size  is  twelve  feet  by  sixteen,  a  third,  four 
by  sixteen,  a  fourth,  three  by  sixteen  feet.  The  outer  wall  is 
eighteen  inches  thick,  consisting  of  rough,  unhewn  stone ;  the  par- 
titions between  the  rooms  is  of  the  same  material,  of  equal  thick- 
ness with  the  outer  wall.  As  an  entrance  into  the  largest  room,  are 
two  door  ways,  the  second  in  size,  one,  and  the  same  of  the  two 
others. — See  at  tlie  bottom  of  the  Frontispiece. 

About  eighty  rods  from  this  structure,  is  also  found  th^  remains  of 
the  foundation  of  a  stone  building,  nineteen  feet  by  fifteen,  in  size, 
of  the  same  character  of  architecture.  One  large  oval  room,  twelve 
feet  by  twelve,  on  an  average,  occupies  the  centre,  with  a  door  way, 
and  at  each  end  is  a  room,  three  feet  by  twelve,  without  any  door 
way.  It  is  probable  the  largest  of  these  buildings  was  the  palace 
of  the  chief,  or  king  of  the  tribe,  clan,  or  nation ;  where  was 
held  the  legislative  councils,  and  the  affairs  of  government  were 
transacted. 

The  second  building,  placed  at  the  respectful  distance  of  eighty 
rods,  was  probably  the  prison  house,  and  place  of  execution,  which 
the  small  narrow  cells,  without  any  outside  door  way,  would  seem  to 
suggest.  The  prison  in  which  St.  Paul  was  confined  at  Rome,  is 
exactly  of  this  form  and  size  ;  which  we  consider  a  remarkable  co- 


AND    DISCOVERIEK   IN    THE  WEST. 


247 


incidence,  unless  it  is  allowed,  this  American  prison  house^  as  we 
have  supposed  it  was,  had  been  fashioned  after  the  same  manner- 

We  have  an  account  of  this  prison,  which  was  built  several  hun- 
dred years  before  the  Christian  era,  as  given  by  a  gentleman  now 
making  the  tour  of  Europe.     It  is  as  follows  : 

"  All  parts  of  Italy  are  i  ^♦ere  to  the  scholar,  and  m'  -;'  ^"win 
to  the  Christian.  Thus,  wv.  Nap;..^,  at  Puteoli,  I  saw  wheic  Paul 
landed,  and  I  travelled  between  Naples  and  Rome  on  the  very  same 
road  over  which  he  was  led  prisoner  to  Rome ;  and  if  he  was  in- 
carcerated in  this  city,  (which  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt)  he  doubt- 
less lived  the  greater  part  of  the  time  he  was  here,  in  his  own  hired 
house.  I  have  been  in  the  same  dungeon,  and  seen  the  very  pil- 
lar to  which  ho  must  have  been  chained. 

The  prison  is  the  Mumerline,  the  name  and  history  of  which,  is 
familiar  to  every  one  acquainted  with  Roman  history,  as  it  was,  for 
a  long  time,  the  only  prison  of  the  Romans.  It  consists  of  but  two 
apartments,  circular,  and  about  twelve  feet  diameter,  and  six  feet  in 
height,  the  one  over  the  other,  both  under  ground.  The  only  en- 
trance to  them  originally,  was  through  a  small  hole  in  the  top  of 
each,  through  which  the  prisoner  must  have  been  let  down  with 
ropes,  passing  through  the  upper  to  reach  the  lower  prison.  These 
dxmgeons  were  large  enough  for  the  Romans,  as  the  trial  soon  fol- 
lowed the  imprisonment  of  an  offender,  who,  if  found  inmcent, 
was  at  once  liberated,  but  if  guilty,  immediately  executed." — Jour- 
nal and  Telegraphy  Vol.  IV. ,  No.  191.— 1832. 

From  the  Romans  the  German  or  Belgic  tribes  may  have  derived 
their  first  ideas  of  stone  work,  as  from  the  Germans  the  Danes  de- 
rived the  same.  The  style.and  manner  of  this  building,  as  it  now 
appears,  in  its  ruined  state,  agrees  well  with  the  buildings  of  the 
ancient  Danes  of  the  north  of  Europe,  in  the  10th  and  11th  centu- 
ries ;  which  also  consisted  of  unhewn  stone,  laid  up  in  their  natu- 
ral state,  the  squarest,  and  best  formed,  selected,  of  course.  In  these 
buildings,  says  Morse,  were  displayed  the  first  elements  of  the  Gothic 


••■:^. 
> 


248 


iMlflRICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


Btyle,  in  which  the  ancient  Belgae  or  Cermans  used  to  erect  their 
castles,  in  the  old  world,  eight  or  nine  hundred  years  ago.  These 
works,  of  this  distinct  kind  of  antiquities,  are  numerous  in  the 
western  countries ;  the  regularity,  form  and  structure  of  which,  says 
Dr.  Beck,  favors  the  conclusion  that  they  were  the  work  of  a  more 
civilized  race  than  those  who  erected  the  former,  or  more  ancient 
works  of  America ;  and  that  they  were  acquainted  with  the  rules 
of  architecture,  &c.  of  Danish  and  Belgic  origin,  and  perhaps 
with  &  perfect  system  of  warfare. 

At  present,  the  walls  of  this  trait  of  ancient  times,  are  from  two 
to  five  feet  high,  the  rooms  of  which  are  entirely  filled  with  forest 
trees ;  one  of  which  is  an  oak,  and  was,  ten  years  ago,  nine  feet 
in  circumference. — BecPs  Gazetteer^  P^igc  306. 

But  in  South  America,  when  the  Spaniards  overran  that  country, 
ahout  three  hundred  years  ago,  among  the  Peruvians,  whose  terri- 
tory is  on  the  western  side  of  South  America,  were  found,  statues, 
ohelisks,  mausolea,  edifices,  fortresses,  all  of  stone,  equal,  fully  so, 
with  the  architecture  of  Egypt,  Greece,  and  Rome,  six  hundred 
years  before  the  Christian  era.  Roads  w-ere  cut  through  the  Cordil- 
lera mountains  ;  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  led  mines,  were  opened, 
and  worked  to  a  great  extent;  all  of  which  is  evidence  of  their 
knowledge  of  architecture,  mineralogy,  and  agriculture.  In  many 
places  of  that  country,  are  found  the  ruins  of  noble  aqueducts,  some 
of  which,  says  Dr.  Morse  the  geographer,  would  have  been  thought 
works  of  difficulty  in  civilized  nations.  Several  pillars  of  stone 
are  now  standing,  which  were  erected  to  point  out  the  equinoxes 
and  solstices.  In  their  sepulchres  were  deposited  and  found,  their 
paintings,  vessels  of  gold  and  silver,  implements  of  warfare,  hus- 
bandry,  and  fishing  nets.  , 

To  illustrate  the  architectural  knowledge  of  the  Peruvians  as 
well  as  some  other  provinces  of  South  America,  we  quote  the  fol- 
lowing from  Baron  Humboldt's  Researches,  1st  Vol.  Eng.  trans. 
Amer.  ed.,  p.  256.     "  This  plate,"  referring  to  one  which  is  found 


AND   UISCOVEKICa   IN    THE    WEST 


349 


country, 

se  terri- 

,  statues, 

fullv  so, 

lundred 

Cordil- 

pened, 

of  their 

n  many 

s,  some 

houglit 

'  stone 

iuoxes 

,  their 

;,  hus- 

iDs  as 
le  fol- 
I  trans- 
Ifound 


in  one  of  the  volumes  of  his  Researches,  in  the  French  language ; 
''  represents  the  plan  and  inside  of  the  small  building  which  occu- 
pies the  centre  of  tha  esplanade,  in  the  citadel  of  Cannar,  suppo- 
sed to  be  a  guard  house.  I  sketched  this  drawing  with  the  greater 
exactness,  because  the  remains  of  Peruvian  architecture,  scattered 
along  the  ridge  of  tha  Cordilleras,  from  Cuzco  to  Cajam.be,  or  from 
the  13lh  degree  of  north  latitude  to  the  equator,  a  distance  of  nearly 
a  thousand  miles.  What  an  empire,  and  what  works  are  these, 
which  all  bear  the  same  character,  in  the  cut  of  the  stones,  the 
shape  of  the  doors ;  to  their  stone  buildings,  the  symmetrical  dis- 
posal of  the  niches,  and  the  total  absence  of  exterior  ornaments. 
This  uniformity  of  construction  is  so  great,  that  all  the  stations  along 
the  high  road,  called  in  that  country,  palaces  of  the  Incas,  or  kings 
of  the  Peruvians,  appear  to  have  been  copied  from  each  other;  sim- 
plicity, .symmetry,  and  SDlidity,  were  the  three  characters,  by  which 
the  Peruvian  edifisas  ware  distingaished.  The  citadel  of  Cannar, 
and  the  square  buildings  surrounding  it,  are  not  constructed  with 
the  same  quartz  saudstons,  which  covers  the  primitive  slate,  and 
the  porphyriess  of  Assuay,  and  which  appears  at  the  surface,  in 
the  garden  of  the  Inca,  as  we  descend  toward  the  valley  of  Gulan, 
but  of  trappean  porphyry,  of  great  hardness,  enclosing  vitreous 
feldspar,  and  hornblende'  This  porphyry  was  perhaps  dug  in  the 
^taX  quarries,  which  are  found  at  4000  metres  in  height,  (which 
is  12000  feet  and  a  fraction,  making  two  and  a  third  miles  in  per* 
pendicular  height,)  near  the  lake  of  Culebrilla,  nearly  ten  miles 
from  Cannar.  To  cut  the  stones  for  the  buildings  of  Cannar,  at  so 
great  a  height,  and  to  bring  them  down,  and  transport  them  ten 
miles,  is  equal  with  any  of  the  works  of  the  ancients,  who  built 
the  cities  of  Pompeii,  Herculaneum,  and  Stabia,  long  before  the 
Christian  era,  in  Naples  of  Italy. 

"  We  do  not  find,  however,"  says  Humboldt,  "  in  the  ruin*  of 
Cannar,  those  stones  of  enormous  size,  which  we  see  in  the  Peru- 
vian edifices  of  Cuzco  and  the  neighbouring  countries.  Acosto"  he 

33 


250 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITiei 


.says,  nioiisurcd  some  at  Traquanaco,  whicli  were  twelve  metres, 
(38  fett)  long,  and  fivC  metres,  eight  tenths,  (18  feet,)  broad,  and 
one  metre  nine  tenths,  (6  feet)  thick."  The  stones  made  use  of 
in  building  the  temple  of  Solomon,  were  but  a  triflle  larger  than 
these,  some  of  which  were  twenty -live  cubits,  (43  feet  9  inches  ) 
long,  twelve  cubits,  (29  feet)  wide,  and  eight  cubits,  (14  feet)  thick, 
reckoning  twenty-one  inches  to  the  cubit. 

And  who  is  prepared  to  disallow,  that  the  ancestors  of  the  Peru- 
vians in  South  America,  did  not  derive  their  knowledge  of  stone 
cutting,  and  building,  from  the  Jews,  in  the  days  of  Solomon,  a 
thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era,  which  is  so  wonderfully 
imitpited  in  the  palaces  of  their  lucas. 

It  should  be  recollected,  that  the  fleets  of  king  Hiram  navigated 
the  seas  in  a  surprising  manner,  seeing  they  had  not,  as  is  supposed, 
(but  not  proven,)  a  knowledge  of  the  magnetic  compass ;  and  in 
some  voyage  out  of  the  Mediterranean,  into  the  Atlantic,  they  may 
have  been  driven  to  South  America;  where  having  found  a  coun- 
try, rich  in  all  the  resources  of  nature,  more  so  than  even  their  na- 
tive country;  founded  a  kingdom,  built  cities,  cultivated  fields,  mar- 
tialed  armies,  made  roads,  built  acqueducts,  became  rich,  magnifi- 
cent, and  powerful,  as  the  vastness  and  extent  of  the  ruins  of  Peru, 
and  other  provinces  of  South  America,  plainly  show. 

Humboldt  says  that  he  saw,  at  Pullal,  three  houses  made  of 
stone,  which  were  built  by  the  Incas,  each  of  which  was  more  than 
fifty  metres,  or  an  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  laid  in  a  cement,  or 
true  mortar.  This  fact,  he  says,  deserves  some  attention,  because 
travellers  who  had  preceded  him,  had  unanimously  overlooked  this 
circumstance,  asserting,  that  the  Peruvians  were  unacquainted  with 
the  use  of  mortar,  but  is  erroneous.  The  Peruviaas  not  only  em- 
ployed a  mortar,  in  the  great  edifices  of  Pacaritambo,  but  made  use 
of  a  cement  of  asphallum ;  a  mode  of  construction,  which  on  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates  and  the  Tigris,  may  be  traced  back  to 
the  remotest  antiquity.      The  tools  made  nse  of  to  cut  their  stone 


AND    DISCOVCniF.S   IN    THE  WHST. 


2r>i 


•was  copper  hardened  with  tin,  the  same  the  ancients  of  the  old 
world  made  use  of  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  other  na- 
tions, of  which  we  have  spoken,  in  anothrr  place  of  this  work. 

To  show  the  genius  and  enterprise  of  the  natives  of  Mexico,  be- 
fore America  was  discovered,  we  give  the  following,  a?  hut  a  single 
instance :  Montazuma,  the  las^  king  but  one  of  Mexico,  in  the 
year  1446,  forty-six  years  before  the  discovery  of  America  by  Co- 
lumbus, erected  a  dyke  to  prevent  the  overflowing  of  the  waters  of 
certain  small  lakes  in  the  vicinity  of  their  city,  which  had  several 
times  deluged  it.  This  dyke  consisted  of  a  bank  of  stones  and 
clay,  supported  on  each  side  by  a  range  of  palisadoes ;  extending  in 
its  whole  length,  about  seventy  miles,  and  sixty-five  feet  broad,  its 
whole  length  sufficiently  high  to  intercept,  the  overflowings  of  the 
lakes,  in  times  of  high  water,  occasioned  by  the  spring  floods. 

In  Holland,  the  Dutch  have  resorted  to  the  same  means  to  pre- 
vent incursions  of  the  sea ;  and  the  longest  of  many  is  but  forty 
miles  in  extent,  nearly  one  half  short  of  the  Mexican  dyke. — 
"  Amidst  the  extensive  plains  of  Upper  Canada,  in  Florida, 
near  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  in  the  deserts  bordered  by  the  Orini- 
co,  in  Columbia,  South  America,  dykes  of  a  considerable  length, 
weapons  of  brass,  (these  were  used  by  the  Greeks)  and  sculptured 
stones,  are  found,  which  are  the  indications  that  those  countries 
were  formerly  inhabited  by  industrious  nations,  which  are  now  tra- 
versed dnly  by  tribes  of  savage  hunters." — Humboldt.  '  v- . ' 

In  Iceland,  which  is  not  far  from  Greenland,  and  Greenland  is 
not  far  from  the  coast  of  America,  has  been  found,  the  remains  of 
ancient  architecture,  of  no  less  dimensions,  than  two  hundred  rods 
in  circumference ;  built  of  stone,  the  wall  of  which,  in  some  pla- 
ces, as  related  by  Van  Troil,  was  an  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high, 
this  was  a  Norwegian  CBStle,  of  wonderful  strength  and  magnitude, 
and  of  the  same  character  with  the  ruins  found  in  this  country. 

Iceland  is  but  an  hundred  and  twenty  miles  east  of  Greenland, 
and  Greenland  is  supposed  to  be  connected  wiih  America,  far  to  tlie 


r 


S(V3 


AMEIIICAN    ANTIQL'ITIEt 


north.  This  island  is  considtrftble  larger  than  the  state  of  New- 
York,  being  four  hundred  miles  in  length,  ano  two  hundred  and 
seventy  in  breadth.  It  was  discovered  by  a  Norwegian  pirate,  na- 
med Nardoddr,  in  the  year  8G1,'  as  he  wps  diiven  out  to  sea  by  an 
eastern  storm,  on  his  way  from  Norway,  which  is  the  northern  part 
of  Europe,  to  the  Fcroe   islands. 

Soon  after  this,  in  the  year  870,  it  was  colonized  from  Norway, 
under  the  direction  of  a  man  named  Ingalf,  and  in  sixty  years  after, 
which  would  bring  it  to  930,  the  whole  island  was  inhabited.  But 
they  were  without  any  regular  government,  being  distracted  with 
the  wars  of  several  chiefs,  for  a  long  series  of  years,  during  which, 
Iceland  was  a  scene  of  rapine  and  butchery.  It  is  natural  to  sup- 
pose, during  such  conflicts,  many  families,  from  time  to  time,  would 
leave  the  island,  in  quest  of  some  other  dvvelling.  This  was  in 
their  power  to  do,  as  they  had  a  knowledge  of  navigation,  in  a  good 
degree,  derived  from  the  Romans,  at  the  time  teby  ruled  the  most 
of  Europe,  nine  hundred  years  before. 

That  Greenland,  or  countries  lying  west  of  Iceland,  existed, 
coald  hut  be  known  to  Icelanders,  from  the  flights  of  birds  of  pas- 
sage, and  from  driftwood,  which,  to  this  day,  is  driven,  in  large 
quantities,  from  America,  by  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  deposited  on  the 
western  coast  of  that  island." — Morse. 

In  this  way,  it  is  highly  probable,  the  first  Europeans  found  their 
way  to  America,  and  became  the  authors  of  those  vast  ruins  built 
of  stone,  found  in  various  parts  of  America.  The  language  of  the 
Icelanders,  is,  even  now,  after  so  long  a  lapse  of  ages,  much  the 
same  with  that  spoken  in  Sweden,  Denmark,  and  Norway  ;  so  that 
they  understand  the  most  ancient  traditional  history  of  their  ances- 
tors. The  characters  they  made  use  of  were  Runic,  and  were  but 
sixteen  in  number;  but  about  th*?  year  1000,  the  Latin,  or  Roman 
letters  superceded  the  use  of  the  ar  cient  Runic 

Or.  Morse  says,  the  arts  and  sciences  were  extensively  cultiva- 
ted in  Norway,  at  the  time  when  Iceland  was  first  settled  by  them ; 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST. 


263 


and  while  thn  traces  of  literature  were  diminished,  and  at  length 
destroyed,  in  Norway,  by  the  troubles  whicli  shook  the  whole  north 
of  Europe  for  several  ag>is  ;  they  were,  on  the  contrary,  carefully 
preserved  in  Iceland. 

From  this  we  may  safely  infer,  that  America,  having  received  its 
first  European  colonies  from  Iceland  ;  who  had  not  only  a  know- 
ledge of  architecture,  in  a  degree,  but  of  navigation  also,  with  that 
of  science  ;  that  in  the  very  regions  where  villas,  cities,  cultivated 
fields,  roads,  canals,  rail-ways,  with  all  the  glory  of  the  prest  it  age, 
along  the  Atlantic  coast,  also  flourished  the  works  of  a  former  po- 
pulation— the  Danes,  Swedes,  and  Norwegians,  civilized  nations 
centuries  before  Columbus  was  bom,  but  who  have  passed  away, 
by  the  means  of  wars,  with  the  more  ancient  nations  of  America,  or 
with  the  common  enemy  of  both — the  Tartar  hordes  from  Asia,  now 
called  the  American  Indians — leaving  for  ever  the  labour  of  ages, 
which,  here  and  there,  are  discovered,  the  relics  of  their  architectu- 
ral knoAvledge. 

An  hundred  and  twenty-one  years  after  the  discovery  of  Iceland, 
Greenland  was  discovered  also,  by  the  Norwegians,  who  planted  a 
colony  there  ;  and  in  a  little  time  after,  the  country  was  provided 
■with  two  Christian  churches  and  bishops  ;  between  which  and 
Norway,  the  mother  country,  a  considerable  amount  of  commerce 
was  carried  on,  till  1406  ;  a  lapse  of  years  amounting  +o  about  four 
hundred  and  eighty-three,  before  the  discovery  of  An:  n  a  by  Co- 
lumbus ;  when  all  intercourse  between  the  two  countries  ceased, 
occasioned  probably  by  the  convulsions  and  wars  cf  Europe  at  that 
period. 

The  whole  of  that  population,  it  is  supposed,  was  lost,  as  no  tra- 
ces of  them  are  found ;  the  climate  of  that  region,  as  is  evident,  has 
since  underg:)ne  a  great  change,  from  an  accumulation  of  ice  and 
snow  from  the  northern  sea,  so  as  to  render  the  coast,  where  the 
settlements  were,  wholly  inaccessible — Morse. 


254 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUrTIKS 


Is  it  not  possible,  that  as  tliey  found  the  severity  of  the  weather 
increasing  rapidly  upon  them,  they  may  have  removed  to  the  coast 
of  Labrador,  and  from  thence  down  the  coast,  till  they  came  to  the 
region  of  the  Canadas,  where  are  discovered  the  traces  of  ancient 
nations,  in  vast  lines  of  fortifications,  as  attested  to  by  the  most  ap- 
proved authority,  Humboldt  and  others. 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  EUROPEAN  SETTLEMENTS. 


There  are  the  remains  of  one  of  those  efibrts  of  Scandinavian 
defence,  situated  on  a  hill  of  singular  form,  on  the  great  sand  plain 
between  the  Susquehannah  and  Chemung  rivers,  near  their  junc- 
tion. The  hill  is  entirely  isolated,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in 
circumference,  and  more  than  an  hundred  feet  high.  It  has  been 
supposed  to  be  artificial,  and  to  belong  to  the  ancient  nations  to 
which  all  works  of  this  sort  generally  belong.  However,  the  inha- 
bitants living  round  it,  do  not  believe  it  to  be  artificial,  on  account 
of  large  stones  situated  on  its  sides,  too  heavy  to  have  been  placed 
there  by  man. 

In  the  surrounding  plain  are  many  deep  holes,  of  twenty  or  thir- 
ty rods  circumference,  and  twenty  feet  deep  ;  favouring  a  belief 
that  from  them  the  earth  was  scooped  out  to  form  the  hill  with.  It 
is  four  acres  large  on  its  top,  and  perfectly  level,  beautifully  situat- 
ed to  overlook  the  country,  to  a  great  distance,  up  and  down  both 
rivers.  But  whether  the  hill  be  artificial  .or  not,  there  are  on  its  top 
the  remains  of  a  wall,  formed  of  earth,  stone  and  wood,  which  runs 
round  the  whole,  exactly  on  the  brow.  The  v»ood  is  decayed  and 
turned  to  mould,  yet  it  is  traceable  and  easily  distinguished  from 
the  natural  earth.  Within  is  a  deep  ditch  or  entrenchment,  run- 
ning round  the  whole  summit.  From  this  it  is  evident,  that  a  war 
was  once  waged  here ;  and  were  we  to  conjecture  between  whom, 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN    THE  WEST. 


255 


we  should  say,  between  the  Indians  and  Scandinavians  ;  and  that 
this  fortification,  so  advantageously  chosen,  is  of  the  same  class  of 
defensive  works  mth  those  about  Onondaga,  Auburn,  and  the  lakes 
Ontario,  Cayuga,  Seneca,  Oneida,  and  Erie.  As  it  is  known,  or 
not  pretended,  that  the  Scandinavians  did  not  make  settlements  on 
the  con^'nent  earlier  than  985  ;  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  but  they 
had  to  figut  their  wsy  among  the  Indians,  more  or  less,  the  same  as 
we  did  when  first  we  colonized  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic,  along  the 
seaboard  of  the  New-England  states.  The  Indians  who  were  liv- 
ing on  Taunton  river,  witness  to  this,  as  we  have  already  noticed 
in  another  place. 

But  as  these  Scandinavians,  Norwegians,  Scotch,  and  Welch, 
were  fewer  in  number  than  the  Indians,  and  without  the  means  of 
recruiting  from  the  mother  country,  as  was  our  case  ;  they  at  length 
fell  a  prey  to  this  enemy,  or  became  amalgamated  with  them,  and 
so  were  lost ;  the  traces  of  whom  appear,  now  and  then,  among  the 
tribes,  as  we  have  shown. 

We  are  strongly  inclined  to  believe  the  following  articles, 
found  in  the  town  of  Pompey,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  are  of 
Scandinavian  origin.  In  Pompey,  on  lot  No.  14,  is  the  site  of  an  an- 
cient burying  ground,  upon  which,  when  the  country  was  first  set- 
tled, was  found  timber  growing  apparently  of  the  second  growth, 
judging  from  the  old  timber,  reduced  to  mould,  lying  around,  which 
was  an  hundred  years  old,  ascertained  by  counting  the  concentric 
grains.  In  one  of  these  graves  was  found  a  glass  bottle  about  the 
si/e  of  a  common  junk  bottle,  having  a  stopple  in  its  mizzle,  and 
in  the  bottle  was  a  liquid  of  some  sort,  but  was  tasteless.  This  fact 
was  related  to  us  by  a  Mr.  Higgins,  some  time  sheriff  of  Onondagii 
county,  who  both  saw  the  bottle  and  tasted  the  liquid  at  the  time  it 
was  discovered. 

But  is  it  possible  that  the  Scandinavians  could  have  had  glass  in 
their  possession,  at  so  early  a  period  as  the  year  950  and  thereabout, 
so  as  to  have  brought  it  with  them  frojn  Europe  when  their  first 


i; 


266 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


settlements  were  made  in  this  country.  We  see  no  good  reason 
why  not,  as  glass  had  been  in  use  nearly  three  hundred  years  in 
Europe,  before  the  northern  Europeans  are  reputed  to  have  found 
this  country ;  the  art  of  making  glass  having  bsen  discovered  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  644.  In  the  same  grave,  with  the  bottle,  was 
found  an  iron  hatchet,  edged  with  steel.  The  eye,  or  place  for  the 
helve,  was  round,  and  extended  or  projected  out,  like  the  ancient 
Swiss  or  German  axe.  On  lot  number  9,  in  the  same  town,  was 
another  aboriginal  burying  ground,  covered  with  forest  trees,  as  the 
other.  In  and  about  the  neghbourhood  of  this  burying  place  were 
often  ploughed  up,  from  a  di?pth  of  about  five  and  six  inches,  hat- 
chets of  the  same  description.  In  the  same  town,  on  lot  number 
17,  were  found  the  remains  of  a  blacksmith's  forge.  At  this  spot 
have  been  ploughed  up  crucibles,  such  as  mineralogists  use  in  re- 
fining metals. 

These  axes  are  similar,  and  correspond  in  character  with  those 
found  in  the  nitrious  caves  on  the  Gasconade  river,  wich  empties 
into  the  Missouri,  as  mentioned  in  Professor  Beck's  Gazetteer  of 
that  country.  In  the  same  town  are  the  remains  of  two  ancient 
forts,  or  fortifications,  with  redoubts,  of  a  very  extensive  and  formi- 
dable character.  Within  the  range  of  these  works,  have  been 
found  pieces  of  cast  iron,  broken  from  some  vessel  of  considerable 
thickness.  These  articles  cannot  well  be  ascribed  to  the  era  of  the 
French  war,  as  time  enough  since  then,  till  the  region  round  about 
Onondaga  was  commenced  to  be  cultivated,  had  not  elapsed  to  give 
the  growth  of  timber  found  on  the  spot,  of  the  age  above  noticed  ; 
and  added  to  this,  it  is  said,  that  the  Indians,  occupying  that  tract  of 
country,  had  no  tradition  of  their  authors. 

The  reader  will  recollect  that,  a  few  pages  back,  we  have  notic- 
ed the  discovery  of  a  place  called  Estotiland,  supposed  to  be  Nova- 
Scotia,  in  1354,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  Europeans,  who  cul- 
tivated grain,  lived  in  stone  houses,  and  manufactured  beer,  as  in 
Europe  at  that  day.    Now,  from  the  year  1354,  till  the  time  of  the 


AM)  DISCOVERILS   IN    Tilt    WT.ST. 


257 


first  settlements  made  in  Onondaga  county,  by  the  present  inhabi- 
tants, is  all  of  four  hundred  years  ;  is  it  not  possible,  therefore,  that 
this  glass  bottle,  uith  some  kind  of  liquor  in  it,  may  have  been  de- 
rived from  this  Estotiland,  having  been  originally  brought  from 
Europe  ;  as  glass  had  been  in  use,  more  or  less,  there  from  the 
year  644,  till  the  Scandinavians  colonized  Iceland,  Greenland,  and 
Estotiland,  or  Newfoundland.  The  hatchets  or  iron  axes,  found  here, 
were  likely  of  the  same  origin  with  the  pieces  of  cast  iron.  Here 
too,  it  appears,  were  stone  houses,  like  the  founddtions  found  on 
the  Gasconade,  and  on  Noyer  Creek,  in  Missouri,  all  made,  in  all 
probability,  by  these  Europeans. 

From  what  we  liave  related  respecting  these  European  appear- 
ances in  America,  the  traits  of  a  Scandinavian,  Welch,  and  Scotch 
population,  it  is  clear  that  the  remark  of  Professor  Beck,  was  not 
made  without  sufficient  reason  ;  which  is  :  "  They  certainly  form  a 
class  of  antiquities  entirely  distinct  from  the  walled  towns,  fortfi- 
oations,  barrows  or  mounds."     Page  315. 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  WESTERN  ANTIQUITIES. 

But  as  to  the  state  of  the  arts,  amon^  the  more  ancient  nations 
of  America,  some  idea  may  be  gathered  from  what  has  been  alrea- 
dy said.  That  they  manufactured  brick  of  a  good  quality,  is  known 
from  the  discoveries  made  on  opening  their  tumuli.  A  vast  many 
instances  of  articles  made  of  copper  and  sometimes  plated  with  sil- 
ver, have  been  met  with  on  opening  their  works.  Circular  pieces 
of  copper,  intended  either  as  medals  or  brea.stplates,  have  bfien 
found,  several  inches  in  diameter,  very  much  injured  by  time. 
Iron  has  been  found  in  very  few  instances  ;  having,  if  it  may  ha»« 
been  never  so  abundant,  oxydized  in  the  course  of  ages.  How-iver, 
in  several  tumuli,  the  remains  of  knives  and  even  of  sword«,  in  the 
form  of  rust,  have  been  discovered. 

33 


25S  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

Glass  has  not  been  discovered  in  any  of  their  works  excpt  one;  from 
which  we  learn  at  once  that  these  works  were  made  at  least  more 
than  eleven  hundred  and  sixty  years  ago  ;  as  the  manufacture  of 
glass  was  not  discovered  till  the  year  of  our  Lord  064.  But  there 
is  no  doubt  of  their  hoving  inhabited  this  country  from  the  remotest 
antiquity,  drawn  from  data  heretofore  noticed  in  this  Avork.  "  Mir- 
rors made  of  isinglass,  have  been  found  in  as  many  as  fifty  places, 
within  my  own  knowledge,  says  Mr.  Atwater,  besides  the  large 
and  very  elegant  one  at  Circleville.  From  the  great  thickness  of 
those  micae  membraneca  mirrors,  they  answered  the  purpose  for 
which  they  were  made  very  well. 

Their  houses,  in  some  instances,  might  have  been  built  of  stone 
and  brick,  as  in  the  walled  towns  on  Paint  Creek,  and  some  few 
other  places,  yet  their  habitations  were  of  wood,  or  they  dwelt  in 
tents  ;  otherwise  their  ruins  would  be  met  with  in  every  part  of 
this  great  country. 

Along  the  Ohio,  where  the  river  is,  in  many  places,  wearing  and 
washing  away  its  banks,  hearths  and  fire  places  are  brought  to 
light,  two,  four,  and  even  six  feet  below  the  surface  ;  these  are  al- 
so found  on  the  banks  of  the  Muskingum,  at  its  mouth,  and  at  Point 
Harman,  opposite  Marietta.  Two  stone  cove.  ^  of  stone  vessels, 
were  found  in  a  stone  mound,  in  Ross  county,  in  Ohio,  ingeniously 
wrought,  and  highly  polished.  These  covers  resembled  almost  ex- 
actly, and  were  quite  equal  to  vessels  of  that  material  manufactured 
in  Italy  at  the  present  lime. 

An  urn  was  found  in  a  mound,  a  few  miles  from  Chillicothe, 
which,  a  few  years  since,  was  in  the  hands  of  a  Mr.  J.  W.  Collet, 
who  lived  in  that  place,  about  a  foot  high,  and  well  proportioned  ; 
it  very  much  resembles  one  found  in  a  similar  work  in  Scotland, 
n*»ntioned  in  Pennant's  Tour,  vol.  1,  page  154,  4th  London  edition, 
179t  It  contained  arrow  heads,  ashes,  and  calcined  or  burnt  hu- 
man bokes.  In  digging  a  trench  on  the  Sandusky  river,  in  alluvial 
earth,  at  a  depth  of  six  feet,  was  found  a  pipe,  which  displays  great 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


259 


iaste  in  its  execution.  The  rim  of  the  bowl  is  in  high  relief,  and 
the  front  represents  a  beautiful  female  face.  The  stone  of  which 
it  is  made  is  the  real  talc  graphigue,  exactly  resembling  the  stone 
of  which  the  Chinese  make  their  idols.  No  talc  of  this  species  is 
known  to  exist  on  the  west  side  of  the  AUeghanies ;  it  must,  there- 
fore, have  been  brought,  at  some  remote  period,  from  some  part  of 
the  old  world. 

Fragments  of  fishing  nets  and  mocasins,  or  shoes  made  of  a  sjie- 
cies  of  weed,  have  been  found  in  the  nitrous  caves  of  Kentucky. 
The  mummies  which  have  been  found  in  these  places,  were 
wrapped  in  a  coarse  .species  of  linen  cloth^  of  about  the  consistency 
and  texture  of  cotton  bagging.  It  was  evidently  woven  by  the 
.same  kind  of  process  which  is  still  practised  in  the  interior  of  Afri- 
ca. The  warp  being  extended  by  some  slight  kind  of  machinery, 
the  woof  was  passed  across  it,  and  then  twisted,  every  two  threads 
of  warp  together,  before  the  second  passage  of  the  filling.  This 
seems  to  have  been  the  first  rude  method  of  weaving  in  Asia,  Afri- 
ca and  America." 

If  so,  then  it  is  clear,  that  the  inhabitants  of  America,  who  had 
the  knowledge  of  this  kind  of  fabrication,  did  indeed  belong  to  an 
era  as  ancient  as  the  first  people  of  Asia  itself,  and  even  before  the 
settlement  of  Europe  ;  this  is  not  a  small  witness  in  favour  of  our 
opinion  of  the  extreme  antiquity  of  those  ancient  works  of  the  west. 
Other  nations,  however,  have,  from  time  to  time,  mingled  among 
them,  by  various  means,  as  we  have,  in  some  measure  recounted, 
heretofore. 

A  second  envelope  of  these  mummies,  is  a  kind  of  net  work,  of 
coarse  threads,  formed  of  very  small  loose  meshes,  in  which  were 
fixed  the  feathers  of  various  kinds  of  birds,  so  as  to  make  a  per^- 
fectly  smooth  surface,  lying  all  in  one  direction.  The  art  of  this 
tedious  but  beautiful  manufacture,  was  well  understood  in  Mexico, 
and  still  exists  on  the  northwest  coast  of  America,  and  in  the  isl- 
ands of  the  Pacific.     In  these  islands  it  is  the  state  or  court  dress. 


2fi0 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


The  third  and  outer  envelope  of  tliese  mummies,  is  either  like  the 
cue  first  described,  or  consists  of  leather,  sewed  together. — American 
Antq.  Society. 

The  manufacture  of  leather  from  the  hides  of  animals,  is  a  very- 
ancient  invention,  known  to  almost  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  ;  but 
to  find  it  in  America,  wrapped  around  mummies,  as  in  several  in- 
stances found  in  nitrous  caves,  and  in  the  Kentucky  caverns,  shows 
a  knowledge  of  a  branch  of  the  arts,  in  the  possession  of  the  peo- 
ple of  America,  at  an  era  coeval  with  the  Egyptians — as  the  art  of 
embalming  is  found  in  connexion  with  that  of  tanning  the  skins  of 
animals.  Respecting  the  fact  of  leather  being  the  outer  wrapper  of 
some  of  the  mummies  discovered,  Mr.  Atwater  says,  his  authority 
is  the  statement  of  Mr.  Clifford,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  who  was 
also  a  member  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society. 

There  was  a  small  vessel  found  on  the  Ohio  flats,  at  a  depth  of 
twelve  feet,  made  of  the  same  materials,  with  the  mortars  now  in 
use  among  physicians  and  apothecaries,  manufactured  in  Europe. 
It  holds  about  three  quarts,  comes  to  a  point  at  its  bottom,  has  a 
groove  around  it  near  the  middle,  with  two  ears,  though  a  chain  was 
probably  inserted,  so  as  to  suspend.it  over  fire,  as  it  has  on  it  the 
marks  of  that  element,  and  was  probably  a  crucible,  for  melting 
metals,  and  the  chain  handle  shows  the  ingenuity  of  its  construction, 
by  its  being  placed  near  the  middle  of  the  crucible,  in  order  to  pro- 
duce an  equipoise,  when  the  refiner  wished  to  pour  out  his  lead,  his 
iron,  or  his  silver  :  However,  it  may  have  been  only  a  culninary 
vessel. 

Among  the  vast  variety  of  discoveries  made  in  the  mounds,  tu- 
muli and  fortifications  of  these  people,  have  been  found  not  only 
hatchets  made  of  stone  ;  but  axes  as  large,  and  much  of  the  same 
shape  with  those  made  of  iron  at  the  present  day  ;  also  pickaxe* 
and  pestles,  see  plate  No.  11  and  12;  with  various  other  instru- 
ments, made  of  stone.  But  besides,  there  have  been  found  very 
well  manufactured  swords  and  knives  of  iron,  and  possibly  steel, 
says  Mr.  Atwater. 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   THE  WEST. 


261 


If  SO,  this  also  is  an  argument  of  the  great  and  primeval  antiqui- 
ty of  those  settlements  ;  for  we  are  to  suppose  men  knew  more  of 
iron  and  steel,  at  the  time  of  the  building  of  Babel,  than  in  after 
ages,  when  they  became  dispersed,  and,  from  peculiar  circumstan- 
ces, lost  that  peculiar  art,  and  therefore,  in  the  time  of  the  Greeks, 
in  the  year  1406  before  Christ,  it  was  discovered  anew.  From 
which  we  are  to  conclude,  that  the  primitive  people  of  America, 
either  discovered  the  use  of  iron  themselves,  as  i  j  Greeks  did,  or, 
that  they  learned  its  use  from  this  circumstance  ;  or  that  they  car- 
ried a  knowledge  of  this  ore,  with  them  at  the  time  of  their  disper- 
sion ;  as  received  from  Noah's  family,  who  brought  it  from  beyond 
the  Hood,  discovered  in  or  before  the  days  of  Tubal  Cain,  which 
was  only  about  500  years  after  the  creation. 

Dr.  Clark  says,  that  from  the  manufacture  of  certain  articles,  in 
the  wilderness,  by  the  Israelites,  iron,  and  even  steel,  must  have 
been  known,  which  was  an  age  preceding  its  knowledge  among  the 
Greeks,  nearly  an  hundred  years.  If  this  was  so,  it  follows,  they 
must  have  learned  it,  or  rather,  they  must  have  borrowed  the  very 
instruments  of  iron  and  steel,  when  they  left  Egypt ;  as  they  had 
no  means  of  making  such  instruments  from  the  ore,  in  the  wil- 
derness. 

If,  then,  the  art  was  learned  of  the  Egyptians,  by  the  Israelites, 
the  knowledge  of  iron  and  steel  existed  among  that  people  more 
than  three  hundred  years  before  it  was  known  among  the  Greeks, 
and  perhaps  much  earlier,  as  that  the  Egyptians  were  ahead  of  all 
other  nations  in  arts  and  inventions. 


A    DE.«!CRirTION   OF    IMPLEMENTS    FOUND    IN   THE    TUMULI. 


For  a  view  of  each  article,  the  reader  can  refer  to  the  Frontis- 
piece engraving,  by  observing  the  numbering  and  lettering  of  each 
specimen. 


ii*iy  AMERICAN    ANTrQUITIKS 

Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  and  (i,  are  articles  found  in  the  mound  at  Ma- 
rietta, in  1319. 

No.  1.  Back  view  of  the  silver  ornament  for  a  sword  scabbard. 

No.  2.  Front  view  of  the  same. 

No.  3.  Front  view  of  an  ornament  for  a  belt,  with  a  silver  face. 

No.  4.  Back  view  of  the  same  ornament,  of  copper. 

No.  5.  A  plumb,  or  pendent,  formed  of  pieces  of  copper  pound- 
ed together,  leaving  fissures,  or  openings,  which  wet  ""'led  with 
bits  of  silver :  an  implement,  as  to  its  shape,  resembling  the  instru- 
ments used  by  carpenters  and  masons,  now  a  days,  to  a.scertain  per- 
pendiculars with,  and  was  doubtless  used  by  these  ancients  for  the 
same  purpose. 

No.  6.  A  stone  with  seven  holes,  like  a  screw  plate,  fourteen  in- 
ches long,  finely  polished,  and  very  hard ;  this,  however,  was  not 
found  in  the  mound,  but  in  a  field  near  this  tumuli. 

Letter  A.  Represents  a  small  keg  in  its  construction,  and  a  tea- 
kettle in  the  use  to  which  it  seems  to  have  been  put,  which  is  in- 
dicated by  its  spout ;  and  appears  to  have  been  made  of  a  compo- 
sition of  clay  and  shells. 

Letter  B.  Represents  the  idol,  before  spoken  of,  on  pages  221 
and  222,  in  three  views,  a  front,  side,  and  back  view. 

Letter  C.  Represents  the  idol,  or  image  of  stone,  on  pages  223 
and  224. 

Letter  D.  Is  the  stone,  or  Shalnrumu,  described  on  pages  184, 
185,  and  186. 

Letter  E.  Represents  the  Triune  Cup,,  found  on  the  Cany  fork 
of  Cumberland  river,  in  an  ancient  work,  about  four  feet  below  the 
surface.  The  drawing  is  an  exact  likeness,  taken  originally  by 
Miss  Sarah  Clifford,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky ;  it  is  by  some  called 
the  Triune  Idol.  , 

"  The  object  itself  may  be  thus  described.  It  consists  of  three 
heads  joined  together  at  the  back  part,  near  the  top,  by  a  stem  or 
handle,  which  rises  above  the  heads  about  three  inches.   This  stem 


AND    DISCOVEr.lES   IIV    THE   WEST. 


263 


is  hollow,  six  inches  in  circumference  at  the  top,  increasing  in  si/c 
as  it  descends.  The  heads  are  all  of  the  same  dimensions,  being 
about  four  inches  from  the  top  to  the  chin.  The  face,  at  the  eyes, 
is  three  inches  broad,  decreasing  in  breadth,  till  the  way  to  the  chin. 
All  the  strong  marks  of  the  Tartar  countenance  are  distinctly  pre- 
served, and  expressed  with  so  much  sl;ili,  that  even  a  modern  artist 
might  be  proud  of  the  pcrforiiiance.  The  countenances  are  all  dif- 
ferent from  each  other,  and  denote  one  old  person,  and  twc  younger 
ones.  The  face  of  the  eldest  is  paijitcd  around  the  eyes  with  yel- 
low, shaded  with  a  streak  of  the  same  colour,  beginning  from  the 
top  of  the  ear,  running  in  a  semicircular  form,  to  the  ear  on  the 
other  side  of  the  head.  Another  painted  line  begins  at  the  lower 
part  of  the  eye,  and  runs  down  before  each  ear,  about  one  inch. — 
See  the  right  hand  figure  on  Ike  cup,  or  image. 

The  face  engraved  alone,  is  the  back  view,  and  represents  a  per- 
son of  a  grave  countenance,  but  much  younger  than  the  preceding 
one,  painted  very  differently,  and  of  a  different  colour.  A  streak 
of  reddish  brown  surrounds  each  eye.  Another  line  of  the  same 
colour,  beginning  at  tlie  top  of  one  ear,  passes  under  the  chin,  and 
ends  at  the  top  of  the  other  ear.  The  ears  also,  are  slightly  tinged 
with  the  same  colour. 

The  third  figure,  in  its  characteristical  features,  resembles  the 
others,  representing  one  of  the  Tartar  family.  The  whole  of  the  face 
is  slightly  tinged  with  vermilion,  or  some  paint  resembling  it.  Each 
cheek  has  a  spot  on  it,  of  the  size  of  a  quarter  of  a  dollar,  brightly 
tinged  with  the  same  paint.  On  the  chin  is  a  similar  spot.  One 
circumstance  worthy  of  remark,  is,  that  though  these  colours  must 
have  been  exposed  to  the  damp  earth  for  many  centuries,  they  have, 
notwithstanding,  preserved  every  shade  in  all  its  brilliancy. 

This  Triune  vessel  stands  upon  three  necks,  which  are  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  length.  The  whole  is  composed  of  a  fine  clay, 
of  a  light  umber  colour,  which  has  been  rendered  hard  by  the  ac- 


2G4 

tion  of  lire 


A.MKKICAN    A.NTIliUITIES 


Tlie  lieads  are  hollow,  and  the  vessel  is  of  cajiacity 
to  hold  about  one  (juart. 

Docs  not  this  cup  represent  tlu;  three  gods  of  India:  lirahma, 
Vishnoo,  and  Siva?  Let  the  reader  look  at  the  plate  representing 
this  vessel,  and  consult  the  "  Asiatic  Researches,"  by  Sir  William 
Jones;  let  him  also  read  Buchanan's  "  Star  in  the  East,"  and  ac- 
counts there  found,  of  the  idolatry  of  tiie  Hindoos,  he  cannot  fail  to 
see  in  this  idol,  one  proof  at  least,  that  the  people  who  raised  our 
ancient  works  More  idolaters;  and,  that  some  of  them  worshipped 
gods  resembling  t'l;'  three  principal  deitic  "f  India.  What  tends 
to  strengthen  this  inference,  is,  that  nine  nuirex  shells,  the  same  as 
described  by  Sir  William  Jones,  in  his  "  Asiatic  Researches,"  and 
by  Symraes,  in  his  Embassy  to  Ava,"  have  been  found  within 
twenty  miles,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in  an  ancient  work. 

The  murex  shell,  is  a  sea  shell  fish,  out  of  which  the  ancients  j)ro- 
cured  iie  famous  Tyrian  purple  dye,  which  was  the  colour  of  the 
royal  robes  of  kings,  so  celebrated  in  ancient  times.  Their  compo- 
nent parts  remained  unchanged,  and  they  were  every  way  in  an 
excellent  state  of  preservation.  These  shells,  so  rare  in  India,  are 
liigUly  esteemed,  and  const'crated  to  their  god,  Mahadeva,  whoso 
character  is  the  same  with  the  Neptune,  of  Greece  and  Rome. 
This  shell,  among  the  Hindoos,  is  the  musical  instrument  of  their 
Tritons,  (sea  gods,  or  trumpeters  of  Neptune.)  Those,  of  the  kind 
discovered  as  above,  are  deposited  in  the  museum,  at  Lexington. 
The  foot  of  the  Siamese  god,  Gudma,  or  Boodh,  is  represented  by 
a  sculptured  statue,  in  Ava,  of  six  feet  in  length,  and  the  Iocs  of 
this  god,  are  carved,  each  to  represent  a  shell  of  the  Murex. 

These  shells  have  been  found  in  many  mounds  which  have  been 
opened  in  every  part  of  this  country  ;  and  this  is  a  proof  that  a  con- 
siderable value  was  set  upon  them  by  their  owners.  From  these 
discoveries  it  is  evident,  that  the  people  who  built  the  ancient  works 
of  the  west,  were  idolaters ;  it  is  alsp  inferred  from  the  age  of  the 
world  in  which  they  lived  ;   history,  sacred  and  profane,  aflbrds  the 


.^''^ 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WF.liT. 


265 


fact,  that  all  nations,  except  the  Jews,  were  idolaters  at  the  same 
time  and  age,  and  alike  buried  them  in  tumuli. 

Medals,  representing  the  sua  with  its  rays  of  light,  have  been 
found  in  the  mounds,  made  of  a  very  fine  clay,  and  coloured  in  th^ 
composition,  before  it  was  hardened  by  heat,  from  which  it  is  infer- 
red they  worshipped  the  sun.  It  is  also  supposed,  thn  they  wor- 
shij>ped  the  moon,  both  from  their  semicircular  works,  which  repre- 
sent the  new  moori ;  and  also  from  the  discovery  of  copper  medals, 
round  like  the  moon  in  its  full,  being  smooth,  without  any  rays  of 
li^ht,  like  those  which  represent  the  sun.  The  worship  of  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars,  was  the  worship  of  many  nations,  in  the  earliest 
ages,  not  only  soon  after  the  flood,  but  all  along,  contemporary  with 
the  existence  of  the  Jews  as  a  nation,  and  also  succeeding  the 
Christian  era,  and  till  the  present  time,  in  some  parts  of  the  world, 
as  among  the  pagan  IMcxicans. 

Nos.  7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  and  13,  represent  the  shapes  of  the 
stone  axes,  pestle,  and  other  articles  spoken  of  a  few  pages  back. 
— See  the  plate. 

As  it  respects  the  scientific  acquirements  of  the  builders  of  the 
networks  in  the  west,  now  in  ruins,  Mr.  A( water  says,  "  when  tho- 
roughly examined,  have  furnished  matter  of  admiration  to  all  intel- 
ligent persons,  who  have  attended  to  the  subjei  f.  Nearly  all  the 
lines  of  ancient  works  fouud  in  the  whole  country,  where  the  form 
of  the  ground  admits  of  it,  are  right  ones,  pointing  to  the  four  car- 
dinal point*.  ^V^here  there  are  mounds  enclosed,  the  gate  ways  are 
most  frequently  on  the  east  side  of  the  works,  towards  the  rising 
sun.  Where  the  situation  admits  of  it,  in  their  military  works,  the 
openings  are  generally  towards  one  or  more  of  the  cardinal  points. 
From  which  it  is  supposed  they  must  have  had  some  knowledge  of 
astronomy,  or  their  structures  would  not,  it  is  imagined,  have  been 
thus  arranged.  From  this  circumstance  also,  we  draw  the  conclu- 
sion, that  the  first  inhabitants  of  America,  migrated  from  Asia,  at 

34 


266 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIKS 


I'' 


H  period  coeval  with  that  of  Babylon,  for  here  it  was  that  astrono- 
mical calculatious  were  first  made,  2234  years  before  Christ. 

"  These  things  never  could  have  so  happened,  with  such  invaria- 
ble MBctuess,  in  almost  all  cases,  without  design.    On  the  whole," 
says  Atwater,  "  I  am  convinced,  from  an  attention  to  many  hundreds 
of  these  works,  in  every  part  of  the  west  which  I  have  visited,  that 
their  authors  had  a  knowledge  of  astronomy."      He  strengthens 
his  opinions  as  follows :  "  The  pastoral  life,  which  men  followed  in 
the  early  ages,  was  certainly  very  favorable  to  the  attainment  of 
such  a  knowledge.      Dwelling  in  tents,  or  in  open  air,  with  the 
heavenly  bodies  in  full  view,  and  much  more  liable  to  suffer  from 
changes  in  the  weather,  than  persons  dwelling  in  comfortable  ha- 
bitations, they  would,  of  course,  direct  their  attention  to  the  prog- 
nostics of  approaching  heat  or  cold,  stormy  or  pleasant  weather. 
Our  own  sailors  are  an  example  in   point.      Let  a  person,  even 
wholly  unaccustomed  to  the  seas,  be  wafted  for  a  few  weeks  by  the 
winds  and  waves,  he  will  become  all  ear  to  every  breeze,  all  eye 
to  every  part  of  the  heavens.      Thus,  in  the  earliest  ages  of  man- 
kind, astronomy  was  attended  to,  partly  from  necessity ;  hence,  a 
knowledge  of  this  science  was  early  diffused  among  men,  the  proofs 
of  which  are  seen  in  their  works,  not  only  here,  but  in  every  part 
of  the  globe.     It  was  reserved  however,  for  the  geniuses  of  modern 
times,  to  make  the  most  astonishing  discoveries  in  this  science, 
aided  by  a  knowledge  of  figures,  and  an  acquaintance  with  the 
telescope." 


CONJECTURES  RESPECTING  WHAT   MAY  HAVE   BECOME   OF 
THESE  ANCIENT  NATIONS. 


But  what  has  finally  become  of  this  people,  and  where  are  their 
descendants,  is  a  question,  the  answer  to  which,  would  be  exceed- 
ingly gratifying ;  and  in  order  to  this,  an  attempt  must  be  made  to 


AND   niKCOVERirs   IN   THF.    WK»T. 


267 


follow  lliem,  l)y  romparin*?  what  lias  lit* eu  discovered  iu  the  west- 
prn  parts  of  tliis  country,  with  what  has  been  discovered  in  South 
America. 

'•  On  opening  a  mound  near  the  "  Big  Grave,"  below  Wheeling, 
a  few  years  since,  a  stone  was  found,  having  on  it  a  brnnd  exactly 
similar  to  the  one  most  commonly  used  by  the  Mexicans  in  marking 
their  cattle  and  horses."  The  conclusion  here  is  too  plain  to  need 
comment. 

"  The  head  of  the  Sus-taja^ses,  or  Mexican  hog,  cut  off  square, 
was  found  in  a  salt  petre  cave,  in  Kentucky,  a  few  years  since,  by 
Dr.  Brown.  This  circumstance  is  mentioned  by  Dr.  Drake,  in  his 
"  Picture  of  Cincinnati."  The  nitre  had  preserved  it.  It  had 
been  deposited  there  by  the  ancient  inhabitants,  where  it  must  hava 
laid  for  many  ages.'  This  animal  is  not  found  north  of  Mexico. 
The  presumption  is,  that  the  ancient  inhabitants  took  these  animals 
along  with  them  in  their  migrations,  until  they  Anally  settled  them- 
selves in  Mexico.  Other  animals  were,  in  all  probability,  domesti* 
cated  by  them,  and  taken  with  them  also  to  that  country. 

Our  ancient  works  continued  into  Mexico,  increasing  in  size,  and 
v^llgrandeur,  preserving  the  same  forms,  and  appear  to  have  been  put  to 
the  same  uses.  The  form  of  our  works  is  round,  square,  triangular  se- 
micircular, and  octangular,  agreeing  in  all  these  respects,  with  those 
in  Mexico.  The  first  worlts  built  by  the  Mexicans,  were  mostly 
of  earth,  and  not  much  superior  to  the  common  ones  on  the  Missis- 
sippi •"  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  works  of  this  sort,  over  the 
whole  earth,  which  is  the  evidence  that  all  alike  belong  to  the  first 
efforts  of  men,  in  the  very  fiist  ages  after  the  flood. 

"  But  afterwards  temples  were  erected  on  the  elevated  squares, 
circles,  &c.,  but  were  still  like  ours,  surrounded  by  walls  of  earth] 
These  sacred  places  in  Mexico  were  called  "  teocalliy^^  which  in  the 
vernacular  tongue  of  the  most  ancient  tribe  of  Mexicans,  signifies 
"  mansions  of  the  gods.''^  They  included  within  their  sacred  walls, 
gardens,  fountains,  habitations  of  priests,  temples,  altars,  «:  d  maga- 


n 


268  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

zines  of  arms.  This  circumstance  may  account  for  many  things 
which  have  excited  some  surprise  among  those  who  have  hastily 
visited  the  works  on  Paint  Creek,  at  Portsmouth,  Marietta,  Circle- 
ville,  Newark,  &c. 

It  is  doubted  by  many  to  what  use  these  works  were  put ;  whe- 
ther they  were  used  as  forts,  camps,  cemeteries,  altars,  and  temples  ; 
whereas,  they  contained  all  these  either  within  their  walls,  or  were 
immediately  connected  with  them.  Many  persons  cannot  imagine 
why  the  works,  at  tlie  places  above  mentioned,  were  so  extensive, 
complicated,  difiering  so  much  in  form,  size,  and  elevation,  among 
themselves :"  but  the  solution  is,  undoubtedly,  "  they  contained 
within  them,  altars,  temples,  cemeteries,  habitations  of  priests,  gar- 
dens, wells,  fountains,  places  devoted  to  sacred  purposes,  of  various 
kinds,  and  the  whole  of  their  warlike  munitions,  laid  up  in  arse- 
nals. These  works  were  calculated  for  defence,  and  were  resorted 
to  in  cases  of  the  last  necessity,  where  they  fought  with  despera- 
tion. We  are  warranted  in  this  conclusion,  by  knowing  that  these 
works  are  exactly  similar  to  the  nsost  ancient  now  to  be  seen  in 
Mexico,  connected  with  the  fact,  that  the  Mexican  works  did  con- 
tain within  them  all  that  we  have  stated. 


GREAT  SIZE  OF  SOME  OF  THE  MKxirAN  MOUNDS. 

The  word  Teocali,  Humboldt  says,  is  derived  from  the  name  of 
one  of  the  gods  to  which  they  were  dedicated,  Tezcatlipoca,  the 
Brahma  of  the  Mexicans.  The  pyramid  of  Cholula,  was  seated 
on  a  tumulus  with  four  stage!;,  and  was  dedicated  to  Quetzalcoatl, 
one  of  the  mysterious  characters  that  appeared  among  the  ancient 
Mexicans,  said  to  have  been  a  white  and  bearded  man,  before  spoken 
of  in  this  work. 

The  TeocaHf  or  pyramid  of  Cholula,  is  sixty  rods  in  circumfe- 
Tence,  aiid  ten  rods  high.  In  the  vale  of  Mexico,  twenty-four  miles 


)  tilings 

liastily 

,  Circle- 

t;  whe- 

cmples ; 

or  were 

imagine 

itensive, 

I,  among 

ontained 

Bsts,  gar- 

f  various 

in  arse- 

rcsorted 

dcspera- 

lat  these 

seen  in 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   TIIK    ^Vr.ST. 


201) 


1 


d  con- 


# 


)S. 

name  of 

ocUf  the 

seated 

zalcoatl, 

ancient 

spoken 


north-cast  from  the  capital,  in  a  plain  that  l)oar,s  the  name  of  Mi- 
coatl,  or  the  path  of  the  dead,  is  a  group  of  pyramids,  of  several 
hundred  in  numher,  generally  ahout  thirly  feet  high. 

In  the  midst  of  these  are  two  large  pyramids,  one  dedicated  to 
the  Sun,  the  other  to  the  Moon.  The  sun  pyramid  is  ten  rods  thir- 
teen  feet  high,  and  its  lenght  nearly  thirty-five  rods,  and  of  a  pro- 
portionable thickness,  as  it  is  not  a  circle  ;  that  ol  the  moon  is  eight 
rods  and  eleven  feet  in  perpendicular  height,  but  its  base  is  not 
specified  by  Humboldt;  from  whose  Researches  in  South  America 
we  have  derived  this  information. 

The  small  pyramids,  which  surrounded  .the  two  dedicated  to  the 
sun  and  moon,  are  divided  by  spacious  streets,  running  exactly  , 
north  and  south,  east  and  west,  intersecting  each  other  at  right  an- 
gles, forming  one  grand  palace  of  worship,  and  of  the  dead.  For 
it  is  the  tradition  of  the  Mexicans,  that  in  the  small  tumuli,  or  pyr- 
amids, were  buried  the  chiefs  of  their  tribes.  We  also  here  ascer- 
tain that  the  builders  of  these  two  vast  houses  of  the  sun  and  moon, 
had  indeed  a  knowledge  of  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass  ;  for 
this  arrangement  could  never  have  taken  place  from  mere  chancp, 
^it  must  have  been  the  result  of  calculation,  with  the  north  star,  or 
pole,  in  view.  On  the  top  of  those  teocallis,  where  two  colo-ssal 
statues  of  the  sun  and  moon,  made  of  stone,  and  covered  with 
plates  of  gold,  of  which  they  were  stripped  by  the  soldiers  of  Cor- 
tez.  Such  were  some  of  the  pyramids  of  Egjpt,  with  colossal 
statues 

This  tremendous  work  is  much  similar  to  one  found  in  Egypt, 
called  the  "  Cheops  and  the  Myccrinus  ;"  roiind  about  Avhich  were 
eight  small  pyramids  ;  only  the  Egyptian  work  is  mnch  less  than 
the  Mexican  one,  yet  their  fashion  is  the  same. 


I 

r 


cumfe- 
r  miles 


270 


AMF.RrrAN   ANTIQlTITirs 


i 


PREDILECTION  OF  THE  ANCIENTS  TO  PYRAMIDS. 

In  those  early  ages  of  mankind,  it  is  evident  there  existed  an  un- 
accountable ambition  among  the  nations,  seemingly  to  outdo  each 
other  in  the  height  of  their  pyramids  ;  for  Humboldt  mentions  the 
pyramids  of  Porsenna,  as  related  by  Varro,  styled  the  most  learned 
of  the  Romans,  who  flourished  about  the  time  of  Christ  ;  and  says 
there  were,  at  this  place,  four  pyramids,  eighty  meters  in  height, 
which  is  a  fraction  more  than  f/teen  rods  perpendicular  altitude  ; 
the  meter  is  a  French  measure,  consisting  of  three  feet  three  inches. 

Not  many  years  since  was  discovered,  by  some  Spanish  hunters, 
on  descending  the  Cordilleras,  towards  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  in  the 
thick  forest,  the  pyramid  of  Papantla.  The  form'  of  this  teocalli,  or 
pyramid,  which  had  seven  stories,  is  more  tapering  than  any  other 
monument  of  this  kind,  yet  discovered,  but  its  height  is  not  remark- 
able ;  being  but  fifty- seven  feet,  its  base  but  twenty-five  feet  on 
each  side.  However,  it  is  remarkable  on  one  account  ;  it  is  built 
entirely  of  hewn  stones,  of  an  extiaordinary  size,  and  very  beauti-  m^-. 
fully  shaped.  Three  stair  cases  lead  to  its  top  ;  the  steps  of  which 
were  decorated  with  hieroglyphical  sculpture  and  small  nitches, 
arranged  with  great  symmetry.  The  number  of  these  nitches, 
seems  to  allude  to  the  three  hundred  and  eighteen  simple  and  com- 
pound signs  of  the  days  of  their  civil  calendar.  If  so,  this  monu- 
ment was  erected  for  astronomical  purposes  ;  besides,  here  is  evi- 
dence of  the  use  of  metalic  tools  in  the  preparation  and  building  of 
this  temple. 

In  those  mounds  were  sometimes  hidden  the  treasures  of  kings 
and  chiefs,  placed  there  in  times  of  war  and  danger.  Such  was 
found  to  be  the  fact  on  opening  the  tomb  of  a  Peru\ien  prince, 
when  was  discovered  a  mass  of  pure  gold,  amoimting  to  four  mil- 
lions, six  hundred  and  eighty. seven  thousand  live  hundred  dollars. 
— HumholdVs  JResearches,  vol.  l^p.  \}2. 


AND  OISCOVERms   IN   THE   WEST. 


271 


an  un- 
do each 
ions  the 
learned 
ind  says 
I  height, 
Ititude  ; 
I  inches, 
hunters, 
0,  in  the 
jcalli,  or 
ny  other 
remark- 
feet  on 

is  huilt 

beauti-jggp, 

>f  ^vhich 

nitches, 

nitches, 
d  com- 
mouu- 
is  evi- 

Iding  of 

kings 
Ich  was 
Iprince, 
lur  mil- 
llollnrs. 


The  pyramids  of  the  Ohio  are,  in  several  instances,  built  in  the 
same  manner,  with  several  stages,  on  the  tops  of  wliich  Avere,  un- 
questionably, temples  of  wood,  in  the  day  of  their  glory,  when  their 
builders  swarmed  in  populous  ten  thousands,  over  all  the  unbound- 
ed west  ;  but  time  has  destroyed  all  fabrics  of  this  sort,  whHe  th<i 
mounds  on  which  they  stood,  in' giddy  grandeur,_reniain',  but  strip- 
ped of  the  habiliments  of  architecture,  and  the  embellishments  of 
art. 

There  is,  in  South  America,  to  the  southeast  of  the  city  of  Cuer- 
nuvaca,  on  the  west  declivity  of  the  Cordillera  of  Anah'jac,  an  iso- 
lated hill,  which,  together  Avith  tho  pyramid,  raised  on  its  top  by 
the  ancients  of  that  country,  amounts  to  thirty-five  rods  ten  feet,  in 
perpendicular  height.      The  ancient  tower  of  Babel,  around  which 
the  city  of  Babylon  was  afterwards  built,  was  six  hundred  feet  high, 
\vhich  is  but  thirty  feet  higher  than  the  hiH  we  are  describing  ;  but 
the  base  of  Babel  is  a  mere  nothing,  compared  with  the  gigantic 
work  of  Anahuac,  being  but  six  hundred  feet  square,  which  is  one 
hundred  and  fifty  rods,  or  nearly  so;  while  the  hill  in  South  Ameri- 
ca, partly  nautral  and  partly  artificial,  is  at  its  base  12,06f.  feet ;  this 
thrown  into  rods,  gives  seven  hundred  and  fifty-four,  and  i;'i    miles, 
is  two  and  a  quarter,  and  a  half  quarter,  wanting  AgvA  re  it,  wliicli 
is  five  times  greater  than  that  of  Babel. 

The  hill  of  Xochicalco  is  a  mass  of  rocks,  to  whi.'ti  the  hpnd  if 
man  has  given  a  regular  conic  form,  and  which  is  Jivi'lcd  into  fue 
stories  or  terraces,  each  of  which  is  covered  with  masonry.  Thrse 
terraces  are  nearly  sixty  feet  in  perpendicular  height,  one  abo\c 
the  other,  besides  the  artificial  mound  added  at  the  top,  making 
its  height  nearly  that  of  Babel  ;  besides,  the  whole  is  surrounded 
with  a  deep  broad  ditch,  more  than  five  times  the  circnnference  of 
that  Babylonian  tower. 

Humboldt  says  wc  ought  not  to  l)c  surprised  at  the  magnitude 
and  dimensions  of  this  work,  as  on  the  ridge  of  the  Cordilleras  of 
Peru,  and  on  other  heights,  almost  equal  to  that  of  Tencrifie,  he 


m 


I 


272 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


■M*  ; 


^^ 


had  seen  raonumciit.s  still  more  considerable.  Also  in  Canada,  he 
had  seen  lines  of  defence,  and  entrenchments  of  extraordinary 
length,  the  work  of  some  people  belongnig  to  the  early  ages  of  time. 
Those  in  Canada,  however,  we  imagine  to  be  of  Danish  origin,  and 
to  have  been  erected  in  the  9thj  lOtb,  and  11th  centuries  of  the 
Christian  era,  for  reasons  hereafter  shown. 

If  then,  as  Humboldt  states,  there  were  found  on  the  plains  of 
Canada,  lines  of  defence  of  extraordinary  length,  it  aflbrds  an  argu- 
ment that  the  Norwegians  and  other  northern  nations,  may  not  only 
have  made  settlements  there,  but  became  a  kingdom,  a  body  poli- 
tic and  military,  and  waged  long  and  dreadful  wars  with  opposing 
powers,  who  were  unquestionably  the  Indians,  who  had  already 
driven  away  the  more  ancient  inhabitants  of  America,  the  authors 
of  the  western  works,  mounds  and  tumuli.  But  respecting  the 
tremendous  monument  of  art,  found  by  the  hunters,  which  we  have 
^escribed  above,  it  is  said  that  travellers,  who  have  attentively  ex- 
amined it,  were  struck  with  the  polish  and  cut  of  the  stones,  the 
care  with  which  they  have  been  arranged,  without  cement  between 
the  joints,  and  the  execution  of  the  sculpture,  with  which  the  stones 
are  decorated  ;  each  figure  occupying  several  stones,  and  from  the 
outlines  of  the  animals  which  they  represent,  not  being  broken  by 
the  joints  of  the  stones,  it  is  conjectured  the  engravings  were  made 
after  the  edifice  was  finished.  But  the  animals  and  men  sculptured 
on  the  stone  of  this  pyramid,  ailbrd  a  strong  evidence  of  the  coun- 
try from  which  the  ancestors  of  those  who  built  it  came.  Thcro  are 
crocodiles  spouting  water,  and  men  sitting  even  cross  legged,  aceord- 
ing'to  the  custom  of  several  Asiatic  nations  ;  finally,  the  whole  of 
the  American  works,  of  the  most  ancient  class,  from  Canada  to  tlie 
extreme  parts  of  South  America,  resemble  those  \vhich  arc  daily 
discovered  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Asia. 

From  the  deep  ditch,  with  which  the  greater  monument  we  have 
been  describing,  is  surrounded,  the  covering  of  the  ten  aces,  the 
great  number  of  subterranean  apartments,  cut  into  the  solid  rock, 


AND    DISCOVKRIES   IN    THE  WEST. 


27;i 


on  its  northern  bide,  the  wall  that  defends  the  approach  to  its  base, 
— it  is  believed  to  have  been  a  military  work  of  great  strength. 

The  natives,  even  to  this  day,  designate  the  ruins  of  this  pyramid 
by  a  name  that  signities  a  citadel  or  castle.  The  pyramid  of  Mex- 
itli,  found  in  another  part  of  Mexico,  called  the  great  temple  of 
Tenochtitlan,  contained  an  arsenal,  and  during  the  war  of  th^  Spa- 
niards with  the  devoted  Mexicans,  was  alternately  resorted  to  fi«  a 
fort  of  defence,  and  a  place  security. 

Nothing,  of  the  warlike  character,  could  exceed  the  grandeur  of 
a  light  maintained  from  the  base  to  the  summit  of  one  of  these  tre- 
mcndoes  Teocalis,  or  pyramids.  We  may  suppose  the  foe  already 
gathered  from  their  more  scattered  work  of  ruin,  and  circling,  with 
yells  of  fury,  <lie  immediate  precincts  of  the  mound,  while  the 
rushing  multitude  fly  from  their  burning  habitations,  toward  this 
dernier  resort.  The  goal  is  gained  ;  the  first  who  reach  it,  ascend 
to  its  top  ;  rank  after  rank  succeed,  till,  in  frightful  circles  of  fero- 
cious warriors,  the  whole  pyramid  is  but  one  living  mass  of  fury. 
Now  the  enemy  came  pouring  round  as  a  deluge,  ond  begirt  this 
last  resort  of  the  wailing  populace  ;  while  warrior  facing  warrior, 
each  moment  fell  its  thousands  by  the  noise! ^'-s  death  stab  of  the 
dirk  of  copper  ;  while  from  the  ranks  above  the  silent,  but  \  <jnge- 
ful  arrow  does  its  work  of  deatn.  Here,  from  the  strong  arm  and 
well  ])ractised  sling,  stones,  with  furious  whizzing,  through  the  air, 
cover  in  showers  the  ditjtant  sqadron  with  dismay.  Circle  after  cir- 
cle, at  the  base,  both  of  invader  and  invaded,  fall  togethfr  in  glo- 
rious ruin.  Now  the  top  where  waved  such  signals  of  defience  as 
rude  nations  could  invent,  becomes  thinned  of  its  defenders ;  who, 
pressing  downward,  as  the  lower  ranges  are  cut  in  pieces,  re- 
new the  fight.  Now  the  farthest  circle  of  the  enemy  uears  the  fatal 
centre  ;  now  the  destinies  of  conflicting  nations  draw  nigh  ;  those 
of  the  pyramid  have  thrown  their  last  stone  ;  the  quiver  is  emptied 
of  its  arrows  ;  the  last  spear  of  flint  and  battle-axe,  have  fled,  with 

well-directed  aim,  amid  the  throng. 

35 


i:\  fly  J" 


1^ 


a74 


AMERICA.^   ANTIQUITIES 


M' 


Surrender,  captivity,  slavery,  aucl  death,  wind  up  the  account  ; 
a  tribe  becomes  extinct,  whose  bones,  when  Leaped  together,  make 
a  new  pyrapid.  Such,  doubtless,  is  the  origin  of  many  of  the  fright- 
ful heaps  of  human  bones  found  scattered  over  all  the  west. 

We  learn  from  Scripture,  that  in  the  earliest  times,  the  temples 
of  Asia — such  as  that  of  Baal-Berith,  at  Shechim,  in  Canaan — were 
not  only  buildings  consecrated  to  worship,  but  also  intrenchments, 
in  which  the  inhabitants  of  a  city  defended  themselves  in  times  of 
war.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  Grecian  temples ;  for  the  wall 
which  formed  the  parabolis,  alone  afforded  an  asylum  to  the  be- 
sieged.— Humboldt. 

The  religious  rites  of  those  \vho  made  the  western  tnounds,  it 
is  believed,  were  the  same  with  those  of  Mexico  and  Peru.  This 
is  presumed  from  the  abundance  of  mirrors,  made  of  isinglass,  dis- 
covered on  opening  the  round,  the  square,  and  the  circumvallatory 
monuments  of  North  America.  The  one  at  Circleville  was  quite 
entire,  very  large  and  thick  ;  pieces  of  others  have  been  discover- 
ed, in  nearly  ali  other  tumuli,  Avherever  they  have  been  opened . 
That  they  were  used  as  mirrors,  appears  highly  probable  from  their 
shape  and  size.  One  of  the  three  principal  gods  of  the  South  Ame- 
ricans was  called  by  a  name  which  signifies,  "  the  God  of  the  shin- 
ing Mirror."  He  was  supposed  to  be  a  god  who  reflected  his  own 
supreme  perfections,  and  was  represented  by  a  mirror,  which  was 
made  in  that  country,  of  polished  obsidian,  (a  stone  of  a  beautiful 
kind,  susceptible  of  a  high  pol.'sh,)  or  of  mica,  (isinglass,)  like  ours. 
The  scarcity  of  obsic7!,  n,  w'l'f^h  is  a  volcanic  production,  may  well 
account  for  the  absence  of  mirrors  of  obsidian  in  the  west. 

This  deity  was  riMTt'sented  as  enjoying  perpetual  youth  and 
beauty.  Other  gods  had  images,  placed  on  pedestals,  in  the  Mexican 
temples  ;  but  the  god  of  ;he  shining  mirror,  had  a  mirror  placed  on 
his.  This  divinity  was  held  in  awful  veneration  ;  supposed  to  be 
the  great  unknown  God  of  the  universe.     Who  does  not  here  dis- 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST- 


275 


cover  a  strong  trace  of  a  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  derived  by 
tradition  from  the  first  patriarchs  ! 

Clavigero,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  Mex- 
icans and  Peruvians,  professes  to  point  out  the  places  from  whence 
they  emigrated,  the  several  places  they  stopped  at,  and  the  times 
which  they  continued  to  sojourn  there.  This,  we  understand,  is 
tJie  same  as  related  before  in  this  work,  written  by  Humboldt,  and 
describes  the  emigration  of  the  Azteca  tribes,  from  Aztalan,  or  the 
western  states,  to  Mexico,  which  commenced  to  take  place  not  long 
after  the  conquest  of  Judea,  by  Titus.  Clavigero  supposes  these 
nations  of  Aztalan  came  from  Asia,  across  the  Pacific,  from  the  re- 
gion along  the  coasts  of  the  Chinese  sea  and  islands,  reaching  Ame- 
rica not  far  from  Bhering's  Straits,  and  from  thence  followed  along 
the  coast  of  the  Pacific,  till  they  came,  in  process  of  time,  to  a  mild- 
er climate.  To  this  Mr.  Atwater  adds,  and  suppose  them  to  have 
from  thence  worked  across  the  continent,  as  well  as  in  other  direc- 
tions, as  far  as  the  regions  of  the  western  states  and  territories, 
where  they  may  have  lived  thousands  of  years,  as  their  works 
denote. 

Others  may  have  found  their  way  into  South  America,  by  cross- 
ing the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  at  different  times  and  places.  Green- 
landers  have  been  driven  upon  the  coast  of  Iceland,  which  is  a  dis- 
tance of  at  least  a  thousand  miles.  Thus  transported  by  winds  and 
waves,  by  stress  of  weather,  man  has  found  all  the  islands  of  all  the 
seas.  In  the  same  way  may  have  arrived  persons  from  Africa, 
Europe, — Australasians,  Chinese,  Hindoos,  Jappanese,  Birmans, 
Kamscatadales,  and  Tartars,  on  the  coasts  of  America. 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  WESTERN  DISCOVERIES. 

Six  miles  from  Lebanon,  on  the  Little  Miami,  above  the  mouth 
of  Tod's  Fork,  are  curious  remains  of  aboriginal  works-     The  iaem 


I 


27ti 


AMERICAN   ANTiqUITIF.S 


:  ! 


of  one  of  the  forts  is  trapczodial ;  the  walls  are  of  earth,  and  gene- 
rally eight  or  ten  feet  high  ;  but  in  one  place,  where  it  crosses  the 
brow  of  the  hill  where  it  stands,  it  is  eighteen  feet  high.  The 
Little  Miami  passes  by  on  the  west ;  on  the  north  are  deep  ravines, 
and  on  the  south  and  southeast,  the  same  ravines  continue  ;  making 
it  a  position  of  great  strength.  The  area  of  the  whole  enclosure  is 
nearly  a  hundred  acres  ;  the  wall  has  numerous  angles,  retreating, 
salient,  and  accute,  from  which  are  eighty  outlets  or  gateways. 

From  which  circumstance  we  learn  its  citizens  were  very  great 
in  number,  or  so  many  gateways  would  not  have  been  needed. 
Two  mounds  are  in  its  neighbourhood,  from  wliich  walls  run  in 
different  directions  to  the  adjoining  ravines.  Round  about  thi.s 
work  are  the  traces  of  several  roads  ;  two  of  them  are  sixteen  feet 
wide,  and  elevated  about  three  feet  in  their  centre,  like  our  turn- 
pikes. 

The  Sioux  country,  on  the  VVabisipinekan,  St.  Peters,  and  Yel- 
low River,  abound  with  ancient  entrenchments,  mounds  and  fortifi- 
cations. Siv  milps  of  St.  Tennis,  is  a  place,  called  the  "  valley  of 
bone,?,"  where  the  ground  is  promiBCuously  strewed  with  human  and 
animal  bones  ;  some  of  the  latter  are  of  an  enormous  .size. 

On  the  river  Huron,  thirty  miles  from  Detroit,  and  about  eight 
miles  from  Lake  St.  Clair,  are  a  number  of  small  mounds,  situated 
on  a  dry  plain,  or  bluffof  the  river.  Sixteen  baskets  full  of  human 
bones,  of  a  remarkable  size,  v.ere  discovered  in  the  earth,  while 
sinking  a  cellar  on  ti  is  plain,  for  the  missionary.  Near  the  mouth 
of  this  river,  Huron,  on  the  east  bank,  are  ancient  works,  repre- 
senting a  fortress  with  walls  of  earth,  thrown  up  similar  to  tho,se  of 
Lidiana  and  Ohio. 

At  Belle  Fontaine,  or  Spring  Wells,  three  miles  below  Detroit, 
arc  three  mounds,  or  tumuli,  standing  in  a  direct  line,  about  ten 
rods  apart.  One  of  the.se  having  been  ojiened,  bones,  stone  axes, 
and  arrow  heads  were  found  in  abundance.  Within  the  distance  of 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  these,  are  still  to  be  seen  the  remains  of  an- 


AM)    UISCOVKRIKS    IN    TlIK  WEST. 


2T7 


cient  forlilications,  a  brc-ast  work,  in  some  places  three  and  four 
feet  high,  enclosiiio;  several  acres  of  lirm  ground,  in  the  centre  of  au 
extensive  swamp." 

"  In  the  State  of  Indiana,  Franklin  County,  near  Harrlsonville, 
on  the  Whitewater  river,  ei<;ht  miles  from  its  r.iouth,  on  the  north 
side,  the  truces  of  an  ancient  population  literally  strew  the  earth  in 
every  direction.  On  the  bottoms  or  Hats  are  a  great  number  of 
mounds,  very  uiiecpial  in  size.  The  small  ones  are  from  two  t  four 
feet  above  the  surface,  and  the  growth  of  timber  upon  them  s  >all, 
not  being  over  an  hundred  years  old,  while  the  others  are  from  ten  ■ 
to  thirty  feet  high,  with  trees  growing  on  them  of  the  largest  and 
most  aged  description." — Brou-n''s  Western  Gazcller. 

Mr.  Brown,  the  author  of  the  Western  Gazetteer,  from  whose 
work  we  extract  the  following,  .says  he  obtained  the  assistance  of 
the  inhabitants,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  thorough  examination 
of  the  internal  structure  of  these  mounds.  He  examined  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty  of  them,  and  found  them  all  except  one,  to  have  hu- 
man bones  in  ;  some  fdled  with  hundreds,  of  all  ages,  thrown  pro- 
miscuously together,  into  great  heaps.  He  found  several  sculls, 
leg  and  thigh  bones,  which  plainly  shewed,  their  possessors  were 
persons  of  gigantic  stature. 

The  teeth  of  all  the  subjects  he  examined,  were  remarkably  even, 
and  sound,  handsomely  and  firndy  planted.  The  fore  teeth  were 
very  deep  and  not  so  ivide  as  those  of  the  generality  of  white  peo- 
ple. He  discovered  in  one  mound,  an  article  of  glass,  in  form  re- 
sembling the  bottom  of  a  tumbler,  weighing  five  ounces ;  it  was 
concave  on  both  of  its  sides. 

It  is  true,  that  although  glass  is  said  not  to  have  been  found  out 
till  644  of  the  Christian  era,  yet  it  was  known  to  the  ancient  Ro- 
mans, but  was  considered  an  article  of  too  great  value  to  be  in  com- 
mon use.  That  the  Romans  were  actually  in  the  possession  of  this 
knowledge,  we  learn  from  the  discoveries  made  in  the  disinterod 
cities  of  the  ancient  Romans,  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum,  buried 


*^im 


n 


■27H 


AMERICAN   ANTrQUITIKS 


I 


by  the  volcanic  eruption  of  Mount  Vesuvius.  Among  the  vast  dis- 
coveries of  temples,  (lwelliiiji;s,  streets,  j'iirdens,  pr»intinp:s,  sculp- 
ture, skeletons,  with  treasures  of  gold,  has  been  foi^nd  one  bow 
window  lighted  with  glass  of  a  green  tinge  or  color.  The  disco\»>- 
ry  of  this  article  of  glass  in  the  tumuli,  is  a  proof  of  its  being  of 
European  manufactory,  and  probably  of  the  Roman,  brought  by  its 
ovvnci  as  a  valuable  jewel  in  those  early  times. 

In  this  ii)ound  were  found  several  stone  axes,  such  as  are  shown 
on  the  i)late,  with  grooves  near  the  heads  to  receive  a  withe,  which 
unquestionably  serve  d  to  fasten  the  helve  «)n,  and  several  pieces  of 
earthen  ware.  Some  appeared  to  be  parts  of  vessels,  once  holding 
six  or  eiji,iit  gallons,  others  were  obviously  fragments  of  jugs,  jars, 
and  cups.  Some  were  plain,  while  others  were  curiously  orna- 
mented V  ith  figures  of  birds  and  beasts,  drawn  while  the  clay  or 
material  of  which  they  were  made,  was  soft,  before  the  process  of 
glazing  was  perfoimed.  The  glazier's  art  appears  to  have  been 
well  understood  by  the  potters  who  manufactured  this  aboriginal 
crockery.  One  of  fhe  skulls  taken  out  of  a  mound  at  this  place, 
vva&  found  pierced  with  a  flint  airow,  which  was  still  sticking  in 
the  bone ;  it  was  about  six  inches  long. 

At  the  bottom  of  all  the  mounds  he  examuied,  was  found  a  stra- 
tum of  ashes,  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  thick,  v/hich  rests  on  the 
original  soil.  These  ashes  contain  coal' ,  fragments  of  brands,  and 
pieces  of  calcined  or  burnt  human  bones.  It  is  somewhat  singular 
to  find  that  these  people  both  buried  and  burnt  their  dead ;  yet  it 
may  be,  that  such  as  were  burnt,  were  prisoners  of  war,  who  being 
bound  and  laid  in  heaps,  were  thus  reduced  to  ashes,  by  heaping 
over  them  brush  and  dry  wood. 

Near  this  place,  (Harrison  lie)  on  the  neighbouring  hills,  north- 
east of  the  town,  are  a  number  of  the  remains  of  stone  houses. 
They  were  covered  with  soil,  brush,  and  full  grown  trees.  Mr. 
Brown  cleared  away  the  earth,  roots,  and  rubbish,  from  one  of  them, 
and  found  it  to  have  been  anciently  occupied  as  a  dwelling.  It  was 


long  tbe  vast  tlis- 
pfiintinps,  soulp- 
i  foi'!:d  one  bow 
r.  The  discovf- 
of  of  its  being  of 
n,  brought  by  its 

ich  as  are  shoHii 
e  a  witlie,  whicli 

several  pieces  of 
els,  once  holding 
nts  of  jugs,  jars, 
s  curiously  oma- 
vhile  the  clay  or 
re  the  process  of 
rs  to  have  been 
I  this  aboriginal 
uid  at  this  place, 

still  sticking  in 

cis  found  a  stra- 
lich  rests  on  the 
of  brands,  and 
lewhat  singular 
ir  dead ;  yet  it 
war,  who  being 
es,  by  heaping 

ng  hills,  north- 
stone  houses- 
n  trees.  Mr. 
n  one  of  them, 
elling.  It  was 


AND    DISCOVERIES   liN    THE   VV^JST. 


279 


about  twelve  feet  square.  The  walls  had  fallen  nearly  to  the  foun- 
dation, liaving  been  buiU  with  the  rough  stone  of  nature,  like  n 
stone  wall.  At  one  end  of  the  building  was  a  regular  hearth,  on 
which  was  yet  the  ashes  :ind  coals  of  the  last  fire  its  owners  had 
enjoyed;  before  which  were  found  the  decayed  skeletons  of  eight 
persons,  of  different  ages,  from  a  smiill  child  to  the  heads  of  the  fa- 
mily. Their  feet  were  found  pointing  toward  the  lu-aith ;  and  they 
were  probably  murdered  while  asleep. 

From  the  circumstance  of  the  kind  of  house  i  people  lived 
in,  which  is  the  evidence  of  their  not  belonj;  lo  the  mound 
inhabitants,  we  should  pronounce  them  to  be  a  settlement  of 
Welch,  Scandinavians,  or  Scotch,  who  had  thus  wandered  to  the 
west,  from  the  first  settlements  made  along  the  Atlimtic,  and  were 
exterminated  by  the  common  Indians,  who  had  also  destroyed  or 
(Iriveu  away  the  authors  of  the  mounds,  many  hundred  years  be- 
fore these  Europeans  came  on. 


VARIOUS    OPINIONS    OF    ANTIQUARIANS    RESPECTING    THE 
onHilNAL  INHACITANTS  OF  A.AIF.IUCA. 

But  we  hasten  to  a  conclusion  of  this  work,  by  furnishing  the 
reader  with  the  opinions  of  several  anticjuarians,  who  stand  high  in 
the  estimation  of  the  lovers  of  research  ;  and  among  these  as  fore- 
most, is  the  late  celebrated  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  Professor  of 
Natural  History.  And  as  we  have  not  room  to  give  at  lengtli,  all 
that  these  gentlemen  have  published  on  this  subject,  we  shall  oily 
avail  ourselves  of  extracts,  such  as  will  show  their  final  judgement 
as  to  what  nations,  or  races  of  men  they  were,  who  built  the  Avorks 
of  which  we  have  given  an  account. 

In  the  following  we  have  in  extract,  the  remarks  and  opinions  of 
Dr.  Mitchell  in  his  communication  to  the  American  Antiquarian  So- 
ciety, of  which  he  was  a  member,  1815.      "  I  ofler  you  some  ob- 


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,  AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


servations  on  a  curious  piece  of  American  antiquity,  now  iu  New- 
York.  It  is  a  human  body,  found  in  one  of  the  limestone  caverns 
of  Kentucky.  It  is  a  perfect  exsiccation ;  all  the  fluids  are  dried 
up.  The  skin,  bones,  and  other  firm  parts,  are  in  a  state  of  entire 
preservation.  . 

In  exploring  a  calcareous  chamber,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Glas- 
gow, in  the  west,  for  salt  petre,  several  human  bodies  were  found, 
enwrapped  carefully  in  skins  and  cloths.  The  outer  envelope  of 
the  body,  is  a  deer  skin,  dried  in  the  usual  way,  and  perhaps  sof- 
tened before  its  application,  by  rubbing.  The  next  covering  is  a 
deer  skin,  the  hair  of  which  had  been  cut  away  by  a  sharp  instru- 
ment, resembling  a  hatter's  knife.  The  remnant  of  tne  hair,  and 
the  gashes  in  the  skin,  nearly  resemble  a  sheared  pelt  of  beaver. 
The  next  wrapper  is  of  cloth,  made  of  twine  doubled  and  twisted  ; 
but  the  threads  do  not  appear  to  have  been  formed  by  the  wheel, 
nor  the  web  by  the  loom.  The  warp  and  tilling,  seem  to  have  been 
crossed  and  knotted,  by  an  operation  like  that  of  the  fabrics  of  the 
north-west  coast,  and  of  the  Sandwich  islands.  The  innermost  te- 
gument is  a  mantle  of  cloth,  like  the  preceding,  but  is  furnished 
with  large  brown  feathers,  arranged,  and  fastened  with  great  art,  so 
as  to  be  capable  of  guarding  the  living  wearer  from  wet  and  cold. 
The  plumage  is  distinct  and  entire,  and  the  whole  bears  a  near  si- 
militude to  the  feathering  cloaks  now  worn  by  the  nations  of  the 
north-western  coast  of  America. 

The  body  is  in  a  squatting  posture,  with  the  right  arm  reclining 
forward,  and  its  hand  encircling  the  right  leg.  The  left  arm 
hangs  down  by  its  side.  The  individual  was  a  male,  supposed  to 
be  not  more  than  fourteen  at  his  death.  There  is  a  deep  and  ex- 
tensive fracture  of  the  skull,  near  the  occiput,  which  probably  kil- 
led him.  The  skin  has  sustained  but  little  injury,  and  is  of  a  dus- 
ky colour,  but  the  natural  hue  cannot  be  decided  with  exactness 
from  its  present  appearance.     The  scalp,  with  small  exceptions,  u 


vv  iu  New- 
ne  caverns 
s  are  dried 
c  of  entire 

od  of  Glas- 

ere  found, 

nvelope  of 

erhaps  sof- 

v^ering  is  a 

larp  instru- 

e  hair,  and 

of  beaver. 

d  twisted  ; 

the  wheel, 

have  been 

rics  of  tlie 

lermost  te- 

furnished 

reat  art,  so 

and  cold. 

'  a  near  si- 

3ns  of  the 

reoliuin£» 
left  arffi 
ipposed  to 
p  and  ex- 
bably  kil- 
of  a  dus- 
exactness 
pptions,  is 


AND   nSCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST.  2B1 

covered  with  reddish  hair.     The  teeth  are  white  and  sound.     The 
hands  and  feet,  in  their  shriveled  state,  are  slender  and  delicate. 

It  may  now,  says  Dr.  Mitchell,  be  expected,  that  I  should  ofl'er 
some  opinion  as  to  the  antiquity,  and  race,  of  this  singular  exsicca- 
tion. First,  then,  I  am  satisfied,  that  it  does  not  belong  to  the 
class  of  white  men,  of  which  we  are  members.  Nor  do  I  believe 
that  it  ought  to  be  referred  to  the  bands  of  Spanish  adventurers, 
who,  between  the  15th  and  16th  centuries,  rambled  up  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  along  the  tributary  streams.  I  am  equally  obliged  to  re- 
ject the  opinion  that  it  belonged  to  any  of  the  tribes  of  aborigines 
now  or  lately  inhabiting  Kentuclcy.  The  mantle  of  feathered  work, 
and  the  mantle  of  twisted  threads,  so  nearly  resemble  the  fabrics  of 
the  natives  of  Wakash,  and  the  Pacific  islands,  that  I  refer  this  in- 
dividual to  that  era  of  time,  and  that  generation  of  men,  which  pre- 
ceded the  Indians  of  the  Green  river,  and  of  the  place  where  these 
relics  were  found." 

In  another  letter,  of  a  later  date,  to  the  society,  he  requests  the 
preservation  of  certain  papers,  "  as  worthy  of  being  recorded  in  its 
archives,  showing  the  progress  of  his  mind,  in  coming  to  the  great 
conclusion,  that  the  three  races,  Malays,  Tartars,  and  Scandinarians, 
contributed  to  make  up  the  great  American  population,"  who  were 
the  authors  of  the.  various  works  and  antiquities,  found  on  the  con- 
tinent.— Am.  Antiquarian, p.  315. 

The  fabrics  accompanying  the  Kentucky  bodies,  resemble,  very 
nearly,  those  which  encircled  the  mummies  of  Tennessee.  On 
comparing  the  two  sets  of  samples,  they  were  ascertained  to  be  as 
much  alike  as  two  pieces  of  goods  of  the  same  kind,  made  «♦  dif- 
ferent factories  of  this  country. 

,  Other  antiquities  of  the  same  class,  have  come  to  light ;  speci- 
mens of  cloths,  and  some  of  the  raw  materials,  all  dug  out  of 
that  unparalleled  natural  excavation,  the  Kentucky  cavern,  which 
is  found  to  extend  many  miles,  in  different  directions,  very  deep 

iu  the  earth ;  has  many  vast  rooms,  one  in  particular,  of  1800  feet 

36 


282 


AMB:RICAN    ANTKiUITIES 


ill  circumrerence,  and  150  in  height.  For  a  very  grand  descrip- 
tion of  this  cave,  see  Blake's  Atlas,  1826,  published  at  New-York, 
for  subscribers. 

The  articles  found  in  this  cave  were  sent  to  Dr.  Mitchell  of  New- 
York,  which  were  accompanied  with  the  following  note  : 

"  There  will  be  found  in  this  bundle,  two  mocasins,  in  the  same 
state  they  were  when  dug  out  of  the  Mammoth  Cave,  about  two 
hundred  yards  within  its  mouth.  Upon  exainination,  it  will  'je  per- 
ceived, that  they  are  fabricated  out  of  different  materials ;  one  is 
supposed  to  be  made  of  a  species  of  flag,  or  lily,  which  grows  in 
the  southern  parts  of  Kentucky ;  the  other,  of  the  bark  of  some 
tree,  probably  the  pappaw.  There  is  a  part  of  what  is  supposed  to 
be  a  kinniconecke,  or  pouch,  two  meshes  of  a  fishing  net,  and  a  piece 
of  what  is  supposed  to  be,  the  raw  material,  and  of  which  the  fishing 
net,  pouch,  and  mocasins  were  made.  Also,  a  bowl,  or  cup,  con- 
taining about  a  pint,  cut  out  of  wood,  found  also  in  the  cave  ;  and 
lately,  there  has  been  dug  out  of  it,  the  skeleton  of  a  human  body, 
enveloped  in  a  matting,  similar  to  that  of  the  pouch.  This  matting 
is  substantially  like  those  of  the  plain  fabric,  taken  from  the  coppe- 
ras cave  of  Tennessee,  and  the  saltpetrous  cavern  near  Glasgow,  in 
Kentucky. 

And  what  is  highly  remarkable,  and  worthy  the  attenticm  of  an- 
tiquaiiaus,  is,  that  they  all  have  a  perfect  resemblance  to  the  fabrics 
of  the  Sandwich,  Caroline,  and  the  Fegee  islands,  in  the  Pacific. 
We  know  the  similitude  of  the  manufactured  articles,  from  the  fol- 
lowing circumstance  :  After  the  termination  of  the  war,  in  the  isl- 
and  of  Toconroba,  wherein  certain  citizens  of  the  United  States 
were  engaged  as  principals  or  allies,  many  articles  of  Fegec  manu- 
facture, were  brought  to  New-York,  by  the  victors.  Some  of  them 
agree  almost  exactly  with  the  fabrics  discovered  in  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee.  They  bear  a  strict  comparison,  the  marks  of  a  similar 
state  of  the  arts,  and  point  strongly  to  a  sameness  of  origin  in  the 
respective  people  that  prepared  them.      Notwithstanding  the  dis- 


*« 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN   THE  WEST. 


283 


tance  of  their  several  residences,  at  the  present  time,  it  is  impossi' 
ble  not  to  look  back  to  the  common  ancestry  of  the  Malays,  who 
formerly  possessed  the  country  between  tlie  Alleghany  mountains 
nnd  the  Mississippi  River,  and  those  who  now  inhabit  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

All  these  considerations  lead  to  the  belief,  that  colonies  of  Aus- 
tralasians, or  Malays,  landed  in  North  America,  and  penetrated 
across  the  continent,  (in  process  of  time)  to  the  region  lying  be- 
tween the  Great  lakes  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  There  they  resi- 
ded, and  constructed  the  fortifications,  mounds,  and  other  ancient 
structures,  which  are  the  wonder  of  all  who  have  seen  them. 

What  has  become  of  them  ?  They  have  probably  been  overcome 
by  the  more  warlike  and  ferocious  hordes,  that  entered  our  hemis- 
phere from  the  north-east  of  Asia.  These  Tartars,  of  the  higher 
latitudes,  have  issued  from  the  great  hive  of  nations,  and  desolated 
in  the  course  of  their  migrations,  the  southern  tribes  of  America,  as 
they  have  done  to  those  of  Asia  and  Europe.  The  greater  part  of 
the  present  American  natives  are  of  the  Tartar  stock,  the  descend- 
ants of  the  hardy  warriors  who  destroyed  the  weaker  Malays  that 
preceded  them :  an  individual  of  their  exterminated  race  now  and 
then  "  rises  f'-om  tlie  tomb,"  by  which  their  identity  of  origin  is  as- 
certained. 

If  the  position  is  correct,  that  the  Australasians,  Polynesians,  and 
the  Malays,  who  are  all  the  same  as  to  origin,  peopled  a  part  of 
North  America,  but  were  driven  away  toward  the  south,  by  the 
northern  Tartars,  we  learn  from  whence  the  Azteca  Indians,  who 
subdued  the  native  Mexicans,  derived  their  ferocity  and  treachery 
of  character;  for  iuch  are  the  people  who  now  inhabit  those 
islands. 

The  following  is  the  character  Morse  the  geographer,  has  given 
them :  "  They  are  restless,  iowl  of  navigation,  war,  plunder,  emi- 
grations, colonizing,  desperate  enterprises,  adventures,  and  gallantry. 
They  talk  incessantly  of  their  honor  and  their  bravery,  whilst  they 


2R4 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


are  universally  considered,  by  those  with  whom  they  have  inter- 
course, as  the  most  treacherous,  ferocious  people  on  the  globe  ;  and 
yet  they  speak  the  softest  language  of  Asia." — Uni.  Geoq.  p.  646. 

In  a  communication  of  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  M.  D.,  to  De  Witt 
Clinton,  1826,  he  remarks  that  "  the  parallel  between  the  people 
of  America  and  Asia,  affords  this  important  conclusion ;  that  on 
both  continents,  the  hordes  dwelling  in  higher  latitudes,  have  over- 
powered the  more  civilized,  though  febler  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
tries situated  towards  the  equator." 

As  the  Tartars  have  overrun  China,  so  the  Aztecas  subdued  Mex- 
ico ;  as  the  Huns  and  Alans  desolated  Italy,  so  the  Chippewas  and 
Iroquois  prostrated  the  populous  settlements  on  both  banks  of  the 
Ohio.  The  surviving  race,  in  these  terrible  conflicts  between  the 
different  nations  of  the  ancient  native  residents  of  North  America, 
is  evidently  that  of  the  Tartars.  This  opinion  is  founded  upon  four 
considerations. 

1st.  The  similarity  of  physiognomy  and  features.  His  excellen- 
cy, M.  Genet,  some  time  minister  plenipotentiary  from  France  to 
the  United  States,  is  well  acquainted  with  the  faces,  hues,  and  fig- 
ures, of  our  Indians,  and  of  the  Asiatic  Tartars,  and  is  perfectly  sa- 
tisfied of  their  national  resemblance. 

Mons.  Cazeaux,  consul  of  France  to  New-York,  has  drawn  the 
same  conclusion,  from  a  careful  examination  of  the  man  of  North 
America,  and  Northern  Asia. 

M.  Smibert,  who  had  been  employed  in  executing  paintings  of 
Tartar  visages  for  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  was  so  struck  with 
the  similarity  of  their  features  to  those  of  the  Naraganset  Indians, 
that  he  pronounces  them  members  of  the  same  great  family  of  man- 
kind," this  opinion  of  the  Grand  Duke's  portrait  painter,  "  is  pre- 
served with  all  its  circumstances,  iii  the  fourteenth  volume  of  the 
Medical  Repository. 

I  have  examined,  with  the  utmost  care,  seven  or  eight  Chinese 
sailors,  who  had  assisted  in  navigating  a  ship  from  Macao  to  New- 


AND   DISCOVF.aiES    IN   THK    WEST. 


285 


York.  The  thinness  of  their  beards,  tlio  bay  complexion,  the 
black  lank  hair,  the  aspect  of  the  eyes,  the  contour  of  the  face,  and 
in  short,  the  general  external  character,  induced  every  person  who 
observed  them,  to  remark  how  nearly  they  resemble  the  Mohegans 
and  Oneidas  of  New- York. 

Sidi  Mellimelli,  the  Tunisian  envoy  to  the  United  States,  in 
1804,  entertained  the  same  opinion  on  beholding  the  Cherokees, 
Osages,  and  Miamies,  assembled  at  the  City  of  Washington,  during 
his  residence  there.  Their  Tartar  physiognomy  struck  him  in  a 
moment.   •  . 

2d  :  The  affinity  of  their  languages.  The  late  learned  and  enter- 
prising Professor  Barton,  took  the  lead  in  this  inquiry.  He  collect- 
ed as  many  words  as  he  could,  from  the  languages  spoken  in  Asia 
and  America,  and  concluded,  from  the  numerous  coincidences  of 
sound  and  signification,  that  there  must  have  been  a  common  origin. 

3d.  The  existence  of  corresponding  customs.  I  mean  to  state,  at 
present,  that  of  shaving  away  the  hair  of  the  scalp,  from  the  fore 
part  and  sides  of  the  head,  so  that  notliing  is  left  but  a  tuft  on  the 
crown. 

The  custom  of  smoking  the  pipe  on  solemn  occasions,  to  the  four 
cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  to  the  heavens,  and  to  the  earth,  is 
reported,  upon  the  most  credible  authority,  to  distinguish  equally 
the  hordes  of  the  Asiatic  Tartars,  and  the  bands  of  the  American 
Sioux,  the  most  dreadful  warriors  of  the  west. 

4th.  The  kindred  nature  of  the  Indian  Dogs  of  America,  and  the 
Siberian  Dogs  of  Asia.  The  animal  that  lives  with  the  natives  of 
the  two  continents,  as  a  dog,  is  very  different  from  the  tame  crea- 
ture of  the  same  name  in  Europe  and  America.  He  is  either  a 
different  species,  or  a  wide  variety  of  the  same  species.  But  the 
identity  of  the  American  and  Asiatic  cwrs,  is  evinced  by  several  con- 
siderations. Both  are  mostly  white  ;  they  have  shaggy  coats,  sharp 
noses,  and  erect  ears.  They  are  voracious,  thievish  and,  to  a  con- 
.  siderable  degree,  untameable.     They  steal  wherever  they  can,  and 


286 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


sometimes  turn  against  their  masters.     They  are  prone  to  snarl  and 
grin,  and  they  have  a  howl  instead  of  barkin;;. 

They  are  employed  in  both  hemispheres  for  labour  ;  such  as 
carrying  burdens,  drawing  sledges  over  the  snow,  and  the  like  ; 
being  yoked  and  harnessed  for  the  purpose,  like  horses.  This  co- 
incidence of  our  Indian  with  the  Canis  Sibericus,  is  a  very  impor- 
tant fact.  The  dog,  the  companion,  the  friend,  or  slave  of  man,  in 
all  his  fortunes  and  migrations,  reflects  great  light  on  this  subject, 
and  the  history  of  nations,  and  of  their  genealogy. 

"  In  addition  to  considerations  already  stated,  in  favour  of  this 
opinion,  may  be  urged  the  more  recent  discoveries  concerning  the 
quadrupeds  which  inhabit  the  respective  countries.  There  is  con- 
clusive evidence,  for  example,  that  the  wild  sheep  of  Louisiana  and 
California,  is  the  Tartarian  animal  of  the  same  name.  Yes,  the 
taye-taye,  of  Northwestern  America,  is  an  animal  of  the  same  spe- 
cies with  the  argali,  of  Northern  Asia.  Our  mountain  ram,  or  big 
horn,  is  their  Ovis  Amman." — American  Antq.  So.  p.  333. 

But  we  remark,  this  opinion  of  the  learned  antiquarian,  Professor 
Mitchell,  by  no  means  lessens  the  probability,  as  is  contended  by 
many  learned  men,  and  also  is  the  popular  belief,  that  notwithstand- 
ing this  Tartar  physiognomy  of  our  Indians,  that  they  are,  in  part, 
but  in  a  mixed  relation,  descended  of  the  Jews  ;  or  in  other  words, 
a  part  of  the  Ten  Lost  Tribes  of  Israel ;  and  do,  in  reality,  in  many 
things,  imitate  the  worship  of  the  ancient  Israelites.  Having  taught 
the  same  to  the  Tartars,  after  they  left  Syria,  in  mass,  as  is  related 
by  Esdras,  in  his  second  Book,  see  chapter  13,  from  verse  7  to 
47,  inclusive.     See  also  page  40  of  this  work,  and  onward. 

But  we  resume  the  remarks  of  Professor  Mitchell,  to  Governor 
Clinton,  in  reference  to  the  authors  of  the  works  in  the  west. — 
"  The  exterminated  race,  in  the  savage  intercourse  between  the 
nations  of  North  America,  in  ancieni  days,  appears  clearly  to  hava 
been  that  of  the  Malays.  The  bodies  and  shrouds,  and  clothing  of 
those  individuals,  have,  within  a  few  years,  been  discovered  in  the 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


287 


)  snarl  and 

;  such  as 
the  like  ; 
This  co- 
ery  irapor- 
of  man,  in 
lis  subject, 

our  of  this 
:erning  the 
ere  is  con- 
lisiana  and 
Yes,  the 
same  spc- 
ram,  or  big 
3. 

,  Professor 
itended  by 
ivithstand- 
re,  in  part, 
her  words, 
y,  in  many 
'ing  taught 
i  is  related 
verse  7  to 
ird. 

»  Governor 
le  west. — 
tween  the 
•ly  to  have 
clothing  of 
?red  in  the 


caverns  of  saltpetre  and  copperas,  within  the  states  of  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee.  Their  entire  dried  or  exsiccated  condition,  has  led  in- 
telligent gentlemen,  who  have  seen  them,  to  call  them  mummies. 

They  are  some  of  the  most  memorable  of  the  antiquities  that 
North  America  contains.  The  race,  or  nation,  to  which  they  be- 
longed is  extinct  ;  but  in  preceding  ages,  occupied  tlie  region  situ- 
ated between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  on  the  north,  and  of  Mexico 
on  the  south,  and  bounded  castwardly  by  the  Alleghany  mountains, 
and  westwardly  by  the  Mississippi  river. 

That  they  were  similar  in  their  origin  and  character,  to  the  pre- 
sent inhabitants  of  the  Pacific  islands,  and  of  Australasia,  is  argued 
from  various  circumstances.  1st:  The  sameness  of  texture  in  the 
plain  cloth  or  matting  that  enwraps  the  mummies,  and  that  which 
our  navigators  bring  from  Wakash,  the  Sandwich  islands,  and  the 
Fogees.  2d :  The  close  resemblance  there  is  between  the  feathery 
mantles  brought,  now-a-days,  from  the  islands  of  the  South  Sea,  and 
those  wrappers  which  surround  the  mummies  lately  disinterred  in 
the  Avtstern  states.  The  plumes  of  birds  are  twisted  or  tied  to 
threads,  with  peculiar  skill,  and  turn  water  like  the  back  of  a  duck. 
3d  :  Meshes  of  nets  regularly  knotted  and  tied,  and  formed  of  a 
strong  and  even  twine.  4th  :  Mocasins,  or  coverings  of  the  feet, 
manufactured  with  reraarkeible  ability,  from  the  bark  or  rind  of 
plants,  worked  into  a  sort  of  stout  matting.  5th  :  Pieces  of  antique 
sculpture,  especially  of  human  heads,  and  of  some  other  forms,  found 
where  the  exterminated  tribes  had  dwelt,  resembling  the  carving  at 
Otaheite,  New-Zeland,  and  other  places.  6th  :  Works  of  defence 
or  fortifications,  overspreading  the  fertile  tract  of  country,  formerly 
possessed  by  these  people,  who  may  be  supposed  capable  of  build- 
ing works  of  much  greater  magnitude  than  the  viorais,  or  burial 
places,  and  the  hippas,  or  fighting  stages,  of  the  Society  Islands. 
7th  :  As  far  as  observation  has  gone,  a  belief,  that  the  shape  of  the 
skull,  and  the  angle  of  the  face,  in  the  mummies,  (found  in  the 
west,)  correspond  with  those  of  the  living  Malays. 


'* 


288 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


I  reject,  therefore,  the  doctrine  taught  by  the  European  natural^ 
jsts,  that  the  man  of  icestem  America  (litters,  in  any  material  point, 
from  the  man  of  eastern  Asia.  Had  the  Robertsons,  the  Buffons, 
the  Raynals,  the  De  Pauwys,  and  the  other  speculators  upon  the 
Ameriean  character,  and  the  vilifiers  of  the  American  name,  pro- 
cured the  requisite  information  concerning  the  hemispere  situated 
west  of  u^,  they  would  have  discovered  that  the  inhabitants  of  vast 
regions  of  Asia,  to  the  number  of  many  millions,  were  of  the  same 
blood  and  lineage  with  the  millions  of  America,  whom  they  affect 
to  undervalue  and  despise. 

But  notwithstanding  the  celebrity,  founded  on  the  great  erudi- 
tion and  critical  research  of  Professor  Mitchell,  we  cannot  subscribe 
to  this  opinion  respecting  the  red  headed  mummy  now  in  the  New- 
York  museum,  found  in  a  saltpetre  cave  in  Kentucky.  It  is  a  well 
known  fact,  that  invariably  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  who  are  of 
the  swarthy  or  black  complexion,  have  black  eyes,  together  with 
black  hair,  either  straight  or  curled. 

But  those  nations  belonging  to  the  while  clas§,  have  a  great  va- 
riety of  colour  in  their  eyes  ;  as  blue,  light  blue,  dark  blue,  gray, 
black,  and  reddish,  with  many  shades  of  v.ariations,  more  than  we 
liave  terms  to  express.  Where  this  is  so,  the  same  variety  exists 
respecting  the  colour  of  the  hair  ;  blagk,  white,  auburn,  and  red. 
We  are  sure  this  is  a  characteristic  of  the  two  classes  of  mankind, 
the  dark  and  the  white.  If  so,  then  the  Kentucky  body,  found  in 
the  cave,  is  not  of  Malay  origin,  but  of  Scandinavian ;  of  whom,  as  a 
nation,  it  is  said  that  the  predominant  colour  of  the  hair  of  the  head 
is  red. 

And  further,  we  object,  that  the  traits  of  ancient  population  found 
in  Canada,  between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  to  be  of  Malay  ori- 
gin, but  rather  of  Scandinavian  also.  Our  reason  is  as  follows  :  It 
is  unreasonable  to  suppose  the  Malays,  Australasian,  and  Polyne- 
sian nations  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  who  were  originally  from 
the  eastern  coasts  of  China,  situated  in  mild  climates,  should  pene- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    UEST. 


289 


n  natural- 
trial  point, 
e  BulTons, 
3  upon  the 
lame,  pro- 
re  situated 
nts  of  vast 
f  the  same 
hey  affect 

reat  erudi- 
t  subscribe 
the  New- 
t  is  a  well 
who  are  of 
ether  with 

a  great  va- 
blue,  gray, 
re  than  we 
riety  exists 
I,  and  red. 
mankind, 
Y,  found  in 
whom,  as  a 
if  the  head 

ktion  found 
Malay  ori- 
ollows  :  It 
ad  Polyne- 
inally  from 
ould  pene- 


trate so  far  north  as  the  countries  in  Canada,  to  iix  their  habitations. 
But  it  is  perfectly  natural  that  tlie  Scandinavian,  the  Welch,  or 
the  Scottish  clans,  all  of  whom  inhabit  cold,  very  cold  countries, 
should  be  delighted  with  such  a  climate,  as  any  part  of  either  Up- 
per or  Lower  Canada. 

And  farther,  as  a  reason  that  the  Malay  nations  never  mhabited 
any  part  of  the  Canadas,  we  notice,  tliat  in  those  regions  there  arc 
found  no  traces  of  their  peculiar  skill  and  labour  ascribed  to  them 
by  Professor  Mitchell,  which  are  the  great  mounds  of  the  west.  In 
Canada  we  know  not  that  any  have  been  discovered.  But  other 
works,  of  warlike  character,  abound  there  in  the  form  of  long  lines 
of  defensive  preparations,  corresponding  with  similar  works  in  the 
north  of  Europe,  and  in  many  places  in  the  state  of  New- York,  and 
in  other  Atlantic  states,  as  before  noticed.  On  which  account,  we 
do  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  the  ancjent  traits  of  a  former  civilized  po- 
pulation, found  between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  to  be  of  Euro- 
pean, rather  than  of  Malay  origin. 


FURTHER  REMARKS    ON  THE  SUBJECT   OF  HUMAN  COM- 

FLEXIONS. 

As  to  the  curious  subject  -bf  the  different  complexions  of  man, 
"  I  consider,  says  Dr.  Mitchell,  t^ie  human  family  under  three  di- 
visions. 1st :  The  tawny  man ;  comprehending  the  Tartars,  Ma- 
lays, Chinese,  the  American  Indians,  of  every  tribe,  Lascars,  and 
other  people  of  the  same  cast  and  breed. 

"  2d :  The  white  man,  inhabiting  the  countries  in  Asia  and  Eu- 
rope, situated  north  of  the-Mediterranean  Sea ;  and,  in  the  course 
of  his  adventures,  settliqg  all  over  the  world".  Among  whom  I  rec- 
kon the  Greenlanders,  and  the  Esquimaux  nations. 

"  3d  :  The  blade  man,  whose  proper  residence  is  in  the  regions 

south  of  the  Mediterranean,  particularly  toward  the  interior  of  Afri- 

37  w 


-# 


290 


AMERICAN   ANTi^UITIKS 


ca.     The  peDple  of  Pupuu  uiid  Van  Uieman's  Lund,  Met-ni  to  be  of 
this  class." 

"  It  is  generally  supposed,  and  by  many  able  and  inp;enious  men, 
that  exteual  physical  eauses,  and  combination  of  circumstances, 
which  they  call  climate,  have  wronplit  all  thcjje  changes  in  the  hu- 
man form"  and  complexion.  "  1  do  not,  however,  think  them  ca- 
pable of  explaining  the  dillbrenccs  which  exist  among  the  nations," 
on  this  principle.  "  There  is  an  internal  physical  cause  of  the  great- 
est moment,  which  has  scarcely  been  mentioned.  This  is  the  gene- 
rative influence.  If  by  the  act  of  modelling  the  constitution  in  the 
emhryo  and  foetus,  a  predisposition  to  gout,  madness,  scrofula,  and  con- 
sumption n»ay  be  engendered.,  we  may  rationallif  conclude,  with  the 
sagacious  d'Azara,  that  the  procrcative  power  may  also  shape  the 
natures,  tinge  the  skin,  and  give  other  peculiaiitics  to  the  form  of 
man." — American  Antq-  pcge  334j^332..  l^ 

But  Mr.  Volney,  (see  his  View  of  America,  page  407,)  the 
Frenchman,  who,  it  is  said,  tiavulled  far  to  the  west  to  see  the  ex- 
traordinary sight  of  the  man  of  nature,  in  his  pureness,  unsophisti- 
cated by  any  Bible,  or  priestly  inlluehce,  says,  that  the  sole  cause 
of  the  difference  of  human  complexion,  is  the  rays  of  the  sun  and 
^  climates  ;  and  that,  "  soon  or  late,  it  Avill  be  proved  that  the  black- 
ness of  the  Afriqau  has  no  other  source." 

To  prove  this,  he  tells  us'  the  storji.of  his  acquaintance  Avith  a  la- 
mous  Indian  chief,  the  Little  Tortoise  ;  whose  skin,  he  says,  was 
as  white  as  his  own,  where  it  'Jiad  not  been  exposed  to  the  sun. 
Also  that  when  he  was  among  the  Turks,  he  was  of  the  same  com- 
plexion with  the  Turks,  exc^t  along  the  upper  part  of  his  fore- 
head, where  the  turban  had  screened  the  skin  from  the  wind. 

He  farther  adds  the  story  of  the  coloured  man  in  Virginia,  by 
name  Henry  Morse,  ^vlio,  a  descentant,  in^the  third  generation,  of 
Congo  parentage,  became,  in  the  course  of  six  or  seven  years,  en- 
tirely white,  with  long  sleek  brown  hair,  like  a  European.  If  this 
was  so,  all  we  can!  admit  respecting  it,  is,  that  it  was  doubtless  a 


AND    UISCOVKRIES    IN    THE  WIST. 


2fll 


tliHorder  of  some  sort,  seaU:d  in  llie  skin  of  his  body,  of  a  most  for- 
tunate kind,  rather  thun  any  predetermining  principle  in  the  air  to 
change  him  white.     O^         J^ 

This  author  informs  us  also,  that  a  negro  ehild  is  born  white,  but 
u;rows  black  within  four  and  twenty  hours.  But  we  cannot  avoid 
thinking  his  conclusions  very  singular,  when  we  recollect  that  in 
the  case  of  himself  and  Little  Tortoise,  the  chief,  that  the  air  or  cli- 
mate caused  them,  otherwise  white  and  fair,  to  become  so  brown 
and  tawny  ;  while,  in  the  case  of  the  negro,  Henry  Morse,  the 
same  climate  caused  him,  in  a  short  time,  to  become  exceedingly 
white  and  fair. 

The  child  also  born  u7t//e,  of  African  parents,  becoming  black, 
in  twenty-four  hours  ;  surely  this  is  a  powerful  climate,  if  it  is  the 
sole  cause  cf  the  colour  of  the  Ethiopean.  We  cannot  subscribe  to 
this  gentleman's  tjhicory,  nor  to  the  theory  of  any  of  the  same  way 
of  thiidiing  ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  the  Indian  blood,  when  mix- 
ed with  the  white,  is  equally  inveterate,  if  not  more  so,  to  become 
eradicated  by  a  course  of  time  ;  the  sly  Indian  looking  out,  here 
and  there,  for  many  generations. 

This  idea  of  the  three  original  complexions,  black,  tawny,  and 
white,  v/e  have  supposed  was  realized  in  the  persons  of  Noah's 
three  sons,  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth  ;  and  although  Mr  Mitchell 
has  not  fixed  on  a  starting  place,  he  has  nevertheless  admitted  the 
principle  ;  and  has  referred  the  cause  of  complexion  and  shape  to 
the  procreative  and  generative  act,  excluding,  totally,  any  influence 
which  climate  or  food  may  be  supposed  to  have,  as  has  been  con- 
tended by  many  ;  which,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  understand  his 
meaning,  is  referring  the  complexions  of  the  human  race  immedi- 
ately to  the  arbitrary  act  of  God.  To  this  doctrine  we  most  cor- 
dially subscribe  ;  because  it  is  so  simple  and  natural,  the  very  way 
in  which  the  great  Creator  always  works.  First  fixing  the  jnina,- 
ples  of  nature,  as  gravitation  and  motion,  which  keep  the  worlds  in 
their  courses.     Were  it  not  for  these,  all  would  stand  still,  and  na- 


292 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


ture  would  die.  Fire,  in  its  endless  variations,  breathes  througli  all 
matter,  expands  the  leaves  of  all  forests,  and  adorns  them  with  all 
lloAvers,  gives  motion  to  the  air;  v.hich,  jii  that  motion,  is  called 
the^  winds  of  heaven. 

Fire  gives  liquesccncy  to  the  waters  of  the  globe  ;  were  it  not 
for  this,  all  fluids  that  now  move  over  the  eaith,  in  rivers,  brooks, 
springs,  or  oceans  ;  or  passes,  by  subterranean  channels,  through 
the  earth,  or  circulates  in  the  pores  of  trees  and  herbage  ;  with  the 
watery  fluids  of  all  animated  life,  would  stand  still,  would  congeal, 
would  freeze  to  one  universal  mass. 

Also,  in  the  secret  embryo  of  earth's  productions,  as  in  all  vege- 
tation, all  animals,  and  all  human  beings,  is  fixed  the  principle  of 
variety.  AVere  it  not  for  this,  what  vast  confusion  would  ensue. 
If  all  human  beings  looked  alike,  and  all  human  voices  sounded 
alike,  there  would  be  an  end  to  society,  to  social  order,  to  the  dis- 
tinctions between  friend  and  foe,  relatives  and  strangers ;  conversa- 
tion would  he  misapplied,  identity  at  an  end,  subjects  of  investiga- 
tion and  research,  arts  and  science,  could  have  no  objects  to  fix  up- 
on ;  such  a  state  of  things  would  be  a  fearful  retrograde  toward  a 
state  of  insensibility  and  non-existence.  • 

And  is  it  not  also  as  evident,  that  God  has  fixed,  as  well  the  se- 
cret principle  which  produces  complexion,  as  it  appears  in  an  un- 
mixed state  in  the  human  subject,  as  that  he  has  the  other  princi- 
ples just  rehearsed,  and  equally  as  arbitrarily.  Vegetation  mixes, 
and  in  this  way  gives  varieties  in  form,  colour,  and  flavour,  not 
strictly  original.  Also  the  original  complexions  in  their  pure  state, 
of  black,  tawney,  and  white,  have  also  by  mixtures  produced  their 
vaieties ;  hut  at  the  outset,  in  the  embryo,  there  must  be  a  first  pre- 
disposing principle  to  each  of  these  complexions,  fixed  on  a  more 
permanent  basis  than  that  of  food  and  ch'mate  ;  or  else,  food  and 
climate,  after  these,  had  made  a  white  race  of  men,  or  a  tawny 
race,  black,  might  be  expected,  in  due  time,  if  removed  to  a  cli- 
mate favouring,  to  change  them  all  back  again,  as  at  first ;  but  this 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


293 


is  contrary  to  all  experience  on  the  subject,  in  all  ages,  and  climates 
of  the  earth.  Therefore  we  fix  on  the  idea  of  a  first  principle,  pla- 
ced in  the  generative  powers  of  the  three  sons  of  Noah,  from  whom 
their  several  progenies  derived  the  black,  the  red  or  tawny,  and  the 
white,  in  all  the  simplicity  and  beauty  of  natural  operation. 


\ 


V 


FURTHER  REMARKS  RESPECTING  HUMAN  COMPLEXION  WITH 
OTHER  INTERESTING  SUBJECTS. 

In  another  communication,  which  in  part  was  on  the  same  sub- 
ject, though  addressed  to  the  secretary  of  the  American  Antiqua- 
rian Society,  Dr.  Mitchell,  says,  "  In  that  memoir  (alluding  to  the 
one  addressed  to  De  Witt  Clinton)  I  maintained  the  doctrine,  that 
there  were  but  three  original  varieties  of  the  human  race,  the  tawny 
man,  the  white  man,  and  the  black  ;  a  division  which  I  am  pleased 
to  observe,  the  incomparable  author  of  the  Animal  Kingdom,  has 
adopted  in  France.  The  former  of  these  seems  to  have  occupied 
in  the  earliest  days,  the  plain  watered  by  the  Euphrates  and  the 
Tigris,  while  the  white  Arab,  as  he  hassometimes  been  called,  was 
found  in  the  regions  north  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  and  the  sable 
Arab,  or  negro,  inhabited  to  the  soutli  of  that  expanse  of  water. 

Of  ihe  brown,  or  tawny  variety,  are  the  eastern  Asiatics,  and 
M'estern  Americans,  divisible  into  two  great  stocks,  or  genealogies 
First,  those  in  high  latitudes,  whom  I  call  Tartars ;  and  second, 
those  who  inhabit  low,  or  southern  latitudes,  whom  I  consider  as 
Malays.  I  am  convinced  that  terms,  Tartar  and  Malay,  for  the 
present  purposes  of  reasoning,  are  equally  applicable  to  the  two 
great  continents ;  and  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  negro  colo- 
nies, in  Papua,  and  a  few  other  places,  the  Islanders  in  the  Pacific 
are  Malays. 

My  observationc  led  me  several  years  ago,  to  the  conclusion,  that 
the  two  great  continents,  Asia  and  America,  were  peopled  by  simi- 


r 


294 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


lar  races  of  men ;  and  that  America,  as  well  as  Asia,  had  its  Tar- 
tars in  the  north,  and  its  Malays  in  the  south.  America  has  had 
her  Scythians,  her  Alans,  and  her  Huns ;  but  there  has  been  no 
historian  to  record  their  formidable  migrations,  and  their  barbarous 
achievments  :  how  little  of  past  events  do  we  know. 

Since  the  first  publication  of  my  sentiments  on  this  subject,  at 
home,  they  have  been  published  in  several  places  abroad.  Mr.  E. 
Salverte,  editor  of  the  Bibliotheque  Universelle,  has  printed  them 
at  Geneva,  in  Switzerland,  with  a  learned  and  elaborate  comment. 
The  Monthly  Magazine  of  London,  contains  an  epitome  of  the  same. 

The  comparison  of  the  language  spoken  by  these  Asiatic  and 
American  nations,  colonies,  and  tribes,  respectively,  was  begun  by 
our  learned  fellow  citizen,  the  late  Dr.  B.  S.  Barton.  The  work 
has  been  continued  by  the  Adelangs  and  Vater,  distinguished  phi- 
lologists of  Germany.  Their  profound  inquiry  into  the  structure  of 
language,  and  the  elements  of  speech,  embraces  a  more  correct  and 
condensed  body  of  information,  concerning  the  original  tongues  of 
the  two  Americas,  than  was  ever  compiled  and  arranged  before. 
Their  Mithridates  surpasses  all  similar  performances  that  have  ever 
been  achieved  by  man. 

One  of  my  intelligent  correspondents,  who  has  surveyed  with  his 
own  eyes,  the  region  watered  by  the  Ohio,  wrote  me  very  lately  a 
letter  containing  the  following  paragraph :  "  I  have  adopted  your 
theory  respecting  the  Malays,  Polynesians,  and  Alleghanians.  This 
last  nation,  so  called  by  the  Lemi-lenapi,  or  primitive  stock  of  our 
hunting  Indians,  was  that  which  inhabited  the  United  States,  be- 
fore the  Tartar  tribes  came  and  destroyed  them,  and  who  erected 
the  mounds,  works,  fortifications,  and  temples,  of  the  western  coun- 
try. This  historical  fact  is  now  proved  beyond  a  doubt,  by  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  Lenni-knapi,  Indian,  published  by  Heckewelder,  in 
the  work  issued  bj-  the  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia.  I 
may  add,  that  Mr.  ClltFord,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  has  proved 
another  identity  between  the  Alleghanians  and  Mexicans,  by  ascer- 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


295 


its  Tar- 
has  had 
been  no 
laibarous 

bject,  at 
Mr.  E. 
ted  them 
comment, 
the  same, 
iiatic  and 
begun  by 
rhe  work 
shed  phi- 
ructure  of 
orrect  and 
ongues  of 
id  before, 
have  ever 

d  with  his 
y  lately  a 
pted  your 
lans.  This 
jck  of  our 
tates,  be- 
10  erected 
tern  coun- 
jy  the  tra- 
vvelder,  in 
elphia.  I 
las  proved 
,  by  ascer- 


taining that  many  supposed  fortitications  were  temples  ;  particularly 
that  of  Clircleville,  in  Ohio,  where  human  sacritices  were  one  of 
their  rites.  He  has  discovered  their  similarity  with  the  ancient 
Mexican  temples,  described  by  Humboldt,  and  has  examined  the 
bones  of  victims  in  heaps,  the  shells  used  in  sacred  rites,  as  in  In- 
dia, and  the  idol  of  baked  clay,  consisting  of  three  heads. 

This  opinion  of  human  sacrifices  was  fully  confirmed  by  the  testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Manuel  Liea,  during  the  summer  of  1818.  He,  on 
his  return  from  the  trading  posts  on  the  Upper  Missouri,  inform- 
ed his  fellow  citizens  at  St.  Louis,  that  the  Wolf  tribe  of  the  Paw- 
nee Indians  yet  followed  the  custom  of  immolating  hunian  victims. 
He  purchased  a  Spanish  prisoner,  a  boy  about  ten  years  old,  whom 
they  intended  to  offer  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  Great  Star  ;  and  they  did 
put  to  death,  by  transfixing  on  a  sharp  pole,  as  an  offering  to  the 
object  of  their  adoration,  the  child  of  a  Paddo  woman,  who  being 
a  captive  herself,  and  devoted  to  that  sanguinary  and  horrible  death, 
had  made  her  escape  on  horseback,  leaving  her  new  born  offspring 
behind. 

The  triad,  or  trinity  of  head;?,  instantly  brings  to  miud,  a  similar 
article  figured  by  the  Indians  of  Asia,  and  described  by  Mr.  Mau- 
rice, in  his  Oriental  Researches. 

I  received,  a  short  time  since,  directly  from  Mexico,  several  pie- 
ces of  cloth,  painted  in  the  manner  that  historians  have  often  repre- 
sented. I  find  the  mateirial  in  not  a  sinj^lo  Instance  to  be  cotton,  as 
has  been  usually  affirmed.  There  is  not  a  thread  indicating  the  use 
of  the  spinning  wheel,  nor  an  intertexture,  showing  that  the  loom 
or  shuttle  was  employed.  In  strictness,  therefore,  there  is  neither 
cotton  nor  cloth  in  the  manufacture.  Tbe  fabrics,  on  the  contrary, 
are  uniformly  composed  of  pounded  bark,  probably  of  the  mulberry 
tree,  and  resembles  the  bark  cloths  prepared  to  this  day,  in  the 
Friendly  and  Society  islands,  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  as  nearly  as  one 
piece  of  linen,  or  one  blanket  of  wool  resembles  another. 


»ii 


296 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


I  derive  this  conclusion  from  a  comparison  of  the  several  sorts  of 
goods.  They  have  been  examined  together,  by  several  excellent 
judges.  For,  at  a  meeting  of  the  New- York  Literary  and  Philo- 
sophical Society,  in  February,  1819, 1  laid  these  specimens  of  bark 
clot^,  with  their  respective  colourings  and  paintings,  from  Mexico, 
Otaheite,  and  Tongatabboo,  upon  the  table,  for  the  examination  of 
the  members.  All  were  satisfied  that  there  was  a  most  striking  si- 
militude among  the  several  articles.  Not  only  the  fabric  but  the 
colours,  and  the  materials  of  which  they  apparently  consisted,  as 
well  as  the  probable  manner  of  putting  theni  on,  seemed  to  me 
strong  proofs  of  the  sameness  of  origin,  in  the  different  tribes  of  a 
people  working  in  the  same  way,  and  retaining  a  sameness  in  their 
arts  of  making  a  thing  which  answers  the  purpose  of  paper,  of 
cloth,  and  a  material  for  writing  and  painting  upon. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  these  rolls  from  New-Spain,  filled  with 
hieroglyphics,  and  imitative  characters,  I  received  a  visit  from  three 
natives  of  South  America,  born  at  St.  Bias,  just  beyond  the  isthmus 
of  Darien,  near  the  equator.  They  were  of  the  Malay  race,  by 
their  physiognomy,  form,  and  general  appearance.  Their  dark 
brown  skins,  their  thin  beards,  the  long,  black,  straight  hair  of 
their  heads,  their  small  hands  and  feet,  and  their  delicate  frame  of 
body,  all  concur  to  mark  their  near  resemblance  to  the  Australa- 
sians ;  while  the  want  of  high  cheek  bones,  and  little  eyes,  placed 
wide  apart,  distinguished  them  sufficiently  from  the  Tartars.  Other 
similitudes  exist.  The  history  of  M.  de  la  Salle's  last  expedition, 
and  discoveries  in  North  America,  is  contained  in  the  second  vo- 
lume of  his  Travels. — "  After  travelling  over  plains,  and  sometimes 
across  torrents,  we  arrived  in  the  midst  of  a  very  extraordinary  na- 
tion, called  the  Biscatonges,  to  whom  we  gave  the  name  of  weepers, 
in  regard  that  upon  the  first  approach  of  strangers,  all  these  people, 
men  as  well  as  women,  usually  fell  a  weeping  most  bitterly. 

That  which  is  yet  more  remarkable,  and  perhaps  very  reasona- 
ble in  that  custom,  is  that  they  weep  much  more  at  the  biath  ot 


ANb  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST- 


297 


1  sorts  of 
excellent 
id  Philo- 
s  of  bark 
Mexico, 
[nation  of 
rilcing  si- 
c  but  the 
sisted,  as 
;d  to  me 
ribes  of  a 
;s  in  their 
paper,  of 

illed  with 
roin  three 
le  istlnnus 
■  race,  by 
heir  dark 
it  hair  of 
;  frame  of 
Australa- 
es,  placed 
irs.  Other 
xpedition, 
econd  vo- 
sometimes 
dinary  na- 
f  weepers, 
:se  people, 
jrly. 

y  reasona- 
e  biath  ot 


their  children,  than  at  their  death  ;  because  the  latter  is  esteemed 
only  by  them  as  it  were  a  journey  or  voyage,  from  whence  they 
may  return  after  the  expiration  of  a  certain  time  ;  but  they  look 
upon  their  nativity  as  an  inlet  into  an  ocean  of  dangers  and  misfor- 
tunes. Compare  this  with  a  passage  in  the  Terpsichore  of  Herodo- 
tus, who  flourished  about  450  years  before  Christ,  chapter  4th, 
where,  ir»  describing  the  Thracians,  he  observes,  "  that  the  Trausi 
have  a  general  uniformity  with  the  rest  of  the  Thracians,  (a  branch 
of  the  most  ancient  Greeks,)  except  what  relates  to  the  birth  of 
their  children,  and  burial  of  their  dead.  On  the  birth  of  a  child, 
it  is  placed  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of  its  relations,  who  lament 
aloud  the  evils  which,  as  a  human  being,  he  must  necessarily  un- 
dergo ;  all  of  which  supposed  evils,  they  particularly  enumerate  to 
the  child,  though  it  understand  it  not." — Beloe's  translation.  ss 

To  find  a'  custom  among  one  of  the  Indian  nations,  in  America, 
which  so  strikingly  agrees  with  that  of  the  Tliracian,  a  branch  of 
the  most  ancient  Greek  people,  who  existed  many  hundred  years 
before  Christ,  is  very  extraordinary,  and  would  seem  to  justify  a 
belief  that  we  have  the  descendants  of  the  Greeks  in  our  western 
forests ;  which  also  argues  that  the  ancestors  of  the  tribe  having 
this  curious  custom,  came  early  to  America,  or  they  could  not  have 
so  perfectly  retained  this  practice,  in  their  wanderings  over  Asia, 
who  would  have  inevitably  lost  their  ancient  manners,  by  amalga- 
mations. We  have  before  shown,  in  this  work,  that  Greeks  visited 
South  America,  in  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great,  who,  for  aught 
that  can  be  objected,  may  have  left  a  colony,  and  the  Biscatonffues 
may  be  their  descendants.  v 

"  There  is  an  opinion  among  the  Seneca  nation  of  the  Iroquois 
confederacy,  to  this  day,  that  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon  are  cau- 
aed  by  a  Manitau,  or  bad  Spirit,  who  mischievously  intercepts  the 
light  intended  to  be  shed  upon  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants.  Upon 
such  occasions,  the  greatest  solicitude  exists.      All  the  individuals 

of  the  tribe  feel  a  strong  desire  to  drive  away  the  demon,  and  to 

38     • 


39d 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


remnre  thr.reby  the  impediment  to  the  transmission  of  luminou» 
rays.  For  this  purpose,  they  go  ibrtb,  and  by  crying,  shouting, 
drumming,  and  the  tiring  of  guns,  endeavour  to  frighten  him,  and 
they  never  fail  in  their  object,  for  by  courage  and  perseverance, 
they  infallibly  drive  him  off.  His  retreat  is  succeeded  by  a  return 
of  the  obstructed  light-  Something  of  the  same  sort  is  practised 
among  the  Chippeways,  when  an  eclipse  happens.  The  belief 
among  them  is,  that  there  is  a  battle  between  the  sun  and  moon, 
which  intercepts  the  light.  Their  great  object  is,  therefore,  to  stop 
the  fighting,  and  to  separate  the  combatants.  They  think  these 
ends  can  be  accomplished  by  withdrawing  the  attention  of  the  con- 
tending parties  from  each  other,  and  diverting  it  to  the  Chippeways 
themselves.  They  accordingly  fill  the  air  with  noise  and  outcry. 
Such  sounds  are  sure  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  warring  powers. 
Their  philosophers  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  strife 
never  lasted  long  after  their  clamour  and  noisy  operations  began. 
Being  thus  induced  to  be  peaceful,  the  sun  and  moon  separate,  and 
light  is  restored  to  the  Chippeways.  ' 

Now  it  is  reported,  on  the  authority  of  one  of  the  Jesuit  fathers 
of  the  French  mission  to  India,  that  a  certain  tribe  or  people,  whom 
he  visited  there,  ascribed  eclipses  to  the  presence  of  a  great  dra- 
gon. This  creature,  by  the  interposition  of  his  huge  body,  obstruct- 
ed the  passage  of  the  light  to  our  world ;  they  were  persuaded  they 
could  drive  him  away  by  terrifying  sounds,  in  which  they  were  al- 
ways successful,  as  the  dragon  soon  retired  in  great  alarm,  when 
the  eclipses  immediately  terminated. 

The  manner  of  depositing  the  bodies  of  distinguished  persons  af- 
ter death,  is  remarkable.  Among  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  banks 
of  the  ColumbiiL  river,  which  empties  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  la- 
■  titude  47  degrees  north,  and  in  some  of  those  which  live  near  the  . 
waters  of  the  Missouri,  the  dead  body  of  a  great  man  is  neither 
consumed  by  fire,  nor  buried  in  the  earth,  but  it  is  placed  in  his  ca- 
noe, with  his  articles  of  dress,  ornameiit,  war,  and  hunting,  and  sus- 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IX    TH"  WEST. 


990 


pended  in  the  canoe,  between  two  trees,  to  putrify  in  the  open  air. 
The  custom  of  exposing  bodies  to  decomposition  above  ground,  in 
the  morals,  or  places  of  deposit  for  the  dead,  among  the  Polyne- 
sians, will  immedijitely  occur  to  every  reader  of  the  voyages  made 
within  the  last  half  century,  through  the  I^acilic  Ocean  for  the  pur-- 
poses  of  discovery. 


CANxN'IBALISM  IN  AMERICA. 

The  practice  of  cannibalism  exists  in  full  force,  in  the  Fegee 
islands.  A  particular  and  faithful  account  of  it  is  contained  in  the 
14th  volume  of  the  Medical  Repository,  chaps.  209,  and  215.  The 
History  of  the  five  Indian  nations  dependant  upon  the  government 
of  New- York,  by  Dr.  Golden,  page  185-6,  shows  that  the  ferocious 
and  vindictive  spirit  of  the  conqueror  led  him  occasionally  to  feast 
upon  his  captive.  The  Ottawas  having  taken  an  Iroquois  prisoner, 
made  a  soup  of  his  flesh.  The  like  has  been  repeatedly  done  since, 
on  select  occasions,  by  other  tribes.  Governour  Cass,  of  Michigan, 
informed  me,  that  among  the  Miamis,  there  was  a  standing  commit- 
tee, consisting  of  seven  wamors,  whose  business  it  was  to  perform 
the  man  eating  required  by  public  authority.  The  last  of  their  can- 
nibal feasts  was  on  the  body  of  a  white  man,  of  Kentucky,  about 
forty  years  ago.  The  appointment  of  the  committee  to  eat  human 
flesh,  has  since  that  time,  gradually  become  obsolete  ;  but  the  old- 
est and  last  member  of  this  eannibal  society  is  well  remembered, 
and  died  only  a  few  years  ago. 

A  very  circumstantial  description  of  a  cannibjil  feast,  where  a 
soup  was  made  of  the  body  of  an  Englishman,  at  Michilimackinack, 
about  the  year  1760,  is  given  by  Alexander  Henry,  Esq.,  in  his 
book  of  travels  through  Canada  and  the  Indian  territories.  In  that 
work  it  is  stated  that  man  eating  was  then,  and  always  had  been, 
practised  among  the  Indian  nations,  on  returning  from  war,  or  on 


-#^ 


.m,0maim 


800 


AMERICAN    ANTiqUITIES 


I- 


overcoming  their  enemies,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  them  courage 
tf)  attack,  and  resolution  to  die." — Med.  Rep.  vol.  14,  pp.  261,  26V.. 
As  extraordinary  as  this  may  appear,  we  are  informed  by  Baron 
Humboldt,  in  his  personal  narrative,  that  "  in  Egypt,  in  the  13th 
centuiy,  five  or  six  hundred  years  ago,  the  habit  of  eating  human 
flesh  pervaded  all  classes  of  society.  Extraordinary  snares  were 
spread,  for  physicians  in  particular.  They  were  called  to  at- 
tend persons  who  pretended  to  be  sick,  but  who  were  only  hungry, 
and  it  was  not  in  order  to  be  consulted,  but  devoured." 

Situated  west,  north-west,  and  south-west,  of  North  America,  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  are  a  vast  number  of  islands,  scattered  over  all 
that  immense  body  of  water,  extending  in  groups  quite  across  to 
China,  along  the  whole  Asiatic  coast.  The  general  character  of 
these  islanders  is  similar,  though  somewhat  diversified  in  language, 
in  complexion  are  much  the  same,  which  is  copper,  with  the  ex- 
ception only  of  now  and  then  people  of  the  African  descent,  and 
those  of  the  Japan  islands,  who  are  white. 

By  examining  Morse,  we  find  them  in  the  practice  of  sacrificing 
human  beings,  and  also  of  devouring  them,  as  we  find  the  savages 
of  America  were  accustomed  to  do  from  time  immemorial;  having 
but  recently  suspended  the  appalling  custom. 

From  this  similarity,  an  account  of  which,  however,  might  be 
extended  in  detail,  to  a  vast  amount,  existing  between  these  island- 
ers, and  the  disinterred  remains  of  the  exterminated  race,  who,  as 
it  is  supposed,  built  most  of  the  works  of  the  west,  it  is  inferred 
they  are  the  same.  Their  complexion  and  manners  agree,  at  the 
present  time,  with  the  people  of  these  islands ;  we  mean  those  of 
the  Malay  race,  yet  remaining  in  South  America,  in  their  native 
slate  of  society. 

Also  the  natives  of  the  Caribean  islands  in  the  Caribean  Sea, 
which  is  the  same  with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  only  this  sea  is  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Gulf  are  of  the  same  race  ;  who,  in  their 
migrations  from  the  Pacific  Ocean,  have  peopled  many  parts  of  the 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


301 


South  and  North  American  continent,  the  remains  of  whom  are 
found  on  those  islands,  as  well  as  among  the  unsubdued  nations  in 
the  woods  of  South  America. 

It  is,  doubtless,  a  fact,  that  the  earliest  tribes  who  separated  from 
the  immediate  regions  about  Ararat,  passed  onward  to  the  east 
across  the  countries  now  called  Persia,  Bucharia,  and  the  Chinese 
empire  ;  till  they  reached  the  sea,  or  Picific  Ocean,  opposite  the 
American  continent 

From  thence  in  process  of  time,  on  account  of  an  increase  of  po- 
poulation,  they  left  the  main  continent  in  search  of  the  islands,  and 
passing  fronr;  one  group  to  another,  till  all  those  islands  became 
peopled,  and  until  they  reached  even  the  western  coast  of  not  only 
South  but  North  America. 

At  the  same  time,  tribes  from  the  same  region  of  Ararat,  travelled 
westward,  passing  over  all  Europe  and  southward,  filling  the  re- 
gions of  Africa,  and  the  islands  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean  oposite  the 
coasts  of  South  and  North  America,  till  they  also  reached  the  main 
land,  meeting  their  fellows,  after  having  each  of  them  circumambu- 
lated half  of  the  earth. 

And  having  started  from  the  regions  of  Ararat  and  the  tower  of 
Babel,  with  languages  differing,  one  from  another,  and  having  also 
in  process  of  time,  acquired  habits  arising  from  difTerences  of  cir- 
cumstances, mostly  dissimilar  one  from  the  other  ;  wars  for  the 
mastery,  the  most  deadful,  must  have  ensued  ;  each  viewing  the 
others  as  intruders,  from  whence  they  knew  not.  This  is  evident 
from  the  traditions  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  two  Americas ;  some 
tribes  pointing  to  the  east,  others  to  the  west,  and  others  again  to 
the  north,  as  the  way  from  whence  their  ancestors  came. 

According  to  Clavigero,  the  naturalist,  the  ancestors  of  the  na- 
tions which  peopled  Anahuac,  now  called  New-Spain,  might  have 
passed  from  the  northern  countries  of  Europe,  (as  Norway,)  to  the 
" :  northern  parts  of  America,  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  which  is  call- 
>^>ed  British  America  and  Canada  ;  also  from  the  most  eastern  parts 


,.&.-     \ 


30^ 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


of  Asia  to  the  most  western  parts  of  America.  Thii  conclu- 
sion is  founded  on  tlie  constant  and  general  tradition  of  those 
nations,  which  unanimously  say,  that  their  ancestors  came  into 
Anahuac,  or  New-Spain,  from  the  countries  of  the  north  and 
northwest.  This  tradition  is  confirmed  by  the  remains  of  ma- 
ny anci''nt  edifices,  built  by  those  people  in  their  migrations.  In 
a  journey  made  by  the  Spaniards,  in  160(5,  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years  since,  from  New-Mexico  to  the  river  which  they  call 
Tizan,  six  hundred  miles  from  Anahuac,  towards  the  northwest, 
tliey  found  there  some  large  edifices,  and  met  with  some  Indians, 
who  spoke  the  Mexican  language,  and  who  told  them  that,  a  few 
days  journey  from  tliat  river,  towards  the  north,  was  the  kingdom 
of  Tolan,  and  many  other  inhabited  places,  from  whence  the  Mex- 
icans migrated.  In  fact  the  whole  population  of  Anahuac,  have 
usually  affirmed  that  towards  the  north  were  the  kingdoms  and  pro- 
vinces of  Tolan,  Aztalan,  Copalla,  and  several  others,  which  are 
all  Mexican  names.  Boturini,  or  Bouterone,  a  learned  antiquarian 
of  Paris,  of  the  seventeenth  century,  says,  that  in  the  ancient  paint- 
ings of  the  Taltecas,  a  nation  of  Mexico,  or  more  anciently  called 
Anahuac,  was  represented  the  migrations  of  their  ancestors  through 
Asia,  and  the  northern  countries  of  America,  until  they  established 
themselves  in  the  country  of  Tolan. — Morse,  p.  618. 

This  river  Tizan  is,  unquestionably,  the  river  Columbia,  which 
belongs  to  tlie  territory  owned  by  the  United  States,  bordering  on 
the  coast  of  the  Pacific,  in  latitude  47  degrees  north  ;  which,  from 
Anahuac,  in  Mexico,  is  just  about  that  distance  ;  and  this  river  be- 
ing the  only  one  of  much  size  emptying  into  the  sea,  on  that  side 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  between  the  latitude  of  Mexico  and  the 
latitude  of  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  ;  is  the  reason  why  that  ri- 
ver may,  almost  with  certainty,  be  supposed  the  very  Indian  Tizan. 
But  still  farther  north,  several  days  journey,  were  the  kingdoms 
and  provinces  of  Tolan,  Aztalan,  and  Capallan,  which  were  proba- 
bly in  the  latitude  with  the  northern  parts  of  the  United  States' 
lands,  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  filling  all  the  regions  east, 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST 


303 


as  far  as  to  the  head  waters  of  the  great  western  rivers,  thence  down 
them,  peopling  the  vast  alluvials  of  those  streams  in  Indiana,  Mis- 
souri, Illinois,  Northwestern  Territory,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Mississip- 
pi, and  so  on,  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico  ;  from  whence,  by  the  Tar- 
tars, they  were,  amid  the  conllicts  of  war,  either  exterminated  or 
driven  farther  to  the  south,  or  lost  amid  the  overwhelming  number* 
of  the  enemy  ■ 

Although  those  kingdoms  and  provinces  spoken  of  by  the  natives 
of  Tizan,  to  these  Spanish  adventurers,  had  many  hundred  years 
before  been  vacated  of  their  population  and  grandeur  ;  yet  it  was 
natural  for  them  to  retain  the  tradition  of  their  numbers  and  extent ; 
and  to  speak  of  them  as  then  existing,  which,  as  to  latitude  and  lo- 
cation, was  true,  although  in  a  state  of  ruin,  like  the  edifices  at  the 
Tizor,  or  Columbia.  Many  tribes  also,  like  themselves,  were,  un- 
doubtedly, scattered  over  the  ancient  sites  of  the  greatness  of  their 
ancestors  ;  but  reduced  to  a  state  of  savagisra,  on  account  of  the 
amalgamations  with  the  Tartars,  their  conquerors. 

In  an  address  delivered  at  New- York,  before  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians, by  Dr.  Mitchell,  which  relates  to  the  migrations  of  Malays, 
Tartars  and  Scandinavians,  we  have  the  following  :  "  A  late  Ger- 
man writer,  Professor  Valer,  has  published,  at  Leipzig,  a  book  on 
the  population  of  America.  He  lays  great  stress  on  the  tongues 
spoken  by  the  aborigines,  and  dwells  considerably  upon  the  unity 
pervading  the  whole  of  them,  from  Chili  to  the  remotest  district  of 
North  America — whether  of  Greenland,  Chippewa,  Delawares, 
Natick,  Totauaka,  Cora,  or  Mexico.  Though  ever  so  singular  and 
diversified,,  nevertheless  the  same  peculiarity  obtains  among  them 
all,  which  cannot  be  accidental,  viz  :  the  whole  sagacity  of  that 
people,  from  whom  the  construction  of  the  American  lanugages, 
and  the  gradual  invention  of  their  grammatical  forms  is  derived, 
has,  as  it  were,  selected  one  object,  and  over  this  diffused  such  an 
abundance  of  forms,  that  one  is  astonished  ;  while[only  the  most  able 
philologist,  or  grammarian  of  languages,  by  assiduous  study,  can 


304 


AMERICAN  ANTI()UITIGS 


obtain  a  general  view  thereof.  In  substance,  the  author,  Professor 
Vater,  says,  that  through  various  times  and  circumstances,  this  pe- 
culiar character  is  pic^^rved.  Such  unity,  such  direction,  or  ten- 
dency, compels  us  to  place  the  origin  in  a  remote  period,  when  oiie 
original  tribe,  or  people,  existed,  whose  ingenuity  and  judgment  en- 
abled them  to  excogitate  or  invent  such  intricate  formations  of  lan- 
guage as  could  not  be  effaced  by  thousands  of  years,  nor  by  the  in- 
fluence of  zones  and  climates.  Mr.  Vater  has  published  a  larc;e 
work,  entitled  Muhridales,  in  which  he  has  given  an  extensive 
comparison  of  all  the  Asiatic,  African  and  American  languages,  to 
a  much  greater  extent  than  was  done  by  our  distinguished  fellow- 
citizen.  Dr.  Barton,  of  Philadelphia,  professor  of  natural  history. 
Mr.  Vater  concludes  by  expressing  his  desire  to  unravel  the  myste- 
ries which  relate  to  the  new  and  old  continents  ;  at  least  to  contri- 
bute the  contents  of  his  volume  towards  the  commencement  of  a 
structure,  which,  out  of  the  ruins  of  dilaeerated  human  tribes, 
seeks  materials  for  an  union  of  the  whole  human  race  ;"  in  one 
origin,  which  some  have  disputed  ;  notwithstanding  the  plain  state- 
ment of  the  Bible  on  that  subject,  which  is  a  book  entitled  to  the 
term  antiquity,  paramount  to  all  human  records  now  in  existence  on 
the  earth. 

"  What  this  original  and  radical  language  was,  has  very  lately 
been  the  subject  of  inquiry  by  the  learned  Mr.  Mathieu,  of  Nancy, 
in  France.  The  Chevalier  Valentine,  of  the  order  of  St.  Michael, 
renewed  by  Louis  the  18th,  informs  me  that  this  gentlemen  has 
examined  Mr.  Winthrop's  description  of  the  curious  characters  in- 
scribed upon  the  rock  at  Dighton,  in  Massachusetts,  as  published  in 
the  transactions  of  the  Boston  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  He 
thinks  them  hieroglyphics,  which  he  can  interpret  and  explain  ; 
and  ascribes  them  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  ancient  Atlantic  island 
of  Plato,  called  by  him  Atalantis.  Mr.  Mathieu  not  only  professes 
to  give  the  sense  of  the  inscription,  but  also  to  prove  that  the 
tongues  spoken  by  the  Mexicans,  Peruvians,  and  other  occidental 


ANU  DlSCOVLRlEi    It*    THl.    WESl 


306 


,  Professor 
B8,  this  pe- 
on, or  ten- 
,  when  one 
Jgment  en- 
ons  of  lon- 
r  by  the  in- 
hed  a  large 
II  extensive 
mguages,  to 
ihed  fellow- 
iral  history, 
il  the  myste- 
ist  to  contri- 
icement  of  a 
man    tribes, 
ce  ;"  in  one 
plain  state- 
ititled  to  the 
existence  on 

9  very  lately 
1,  of  Nancy, 
St.  Michael, 
jntlemen  has 
iharacters  in- 
published  in 
:iences.  He 
and  explain  ; 
tlantic  island 
mly  professes 
ove  that  the 
,er  occidental 


or  western  people,  us  well  as  the  Greek  itself,  with  ull  its  dialects 
and  rauiilicatioits,  were  but  derivations  from  the  hnguage  of  the 
primitive  Atalantinns,  of  the  island  of  Plu  '  "     See  page  50,  &c. 

But  besides  the  evidences  that  the  Malay,  Australasian  and  Poly- 
nesian tribes  of  tlie  Piicific  islands,  have,  in  remote  ages,  peopled 
America,  from  the  west ;  coming,  first  of  all,  from  the  Asiatic  shores 
of  tiiut  ocean  ;  and  also  from  the  east,  peopling  the  island  Atalantis, 
(equally  early,  as  we  believe,)  once  situated  between  America  and 
Europe,  and  from  this  to  the  continent ;  yet  there  is  another  class  of 
antiquities,  or  race  of  population,  which,  says  Dr.  Mitchell,  de- 
serves particularly  to  be  noticed.  "  These  are  the  emigrants  from 
Lapland,  Norway,  and  Finland  ;"  the  remotest  latitudes  north  of 
Europe,  "  who,  before  the  tenth  cejitury,  settled  themselves  in 
Greenland,  and  passed  over  to  Labrador.  It  is  recorded  that  these 
adventurers  settled  themselves  in  a  country  which  they  called  Vin- 
land."     See  page  2()7,  &c. 

Our  learned  regent,  Mr.  De  Witt  Clinton,  says  Dr.  Mitchell, 
who  has  outdone  Governor  Golden,  by  writing  the  most  full  and 
able  history  of  the  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations,  of  New- York,  men- 
tioned to  me  his  belief  that  a  part  of  the  old  forts  and  other  antiqui- 
ties at  Onondaga,  about  Auburn,  and  the  adjacent  country,  were  of 
Danish  character. 

"  I  was  at  once  penetrated  by  the  justice  of  his  remark  ;  an  ad- 
ditional window  of  light  was  suddenly  opened  to  my  view  on  this 
subject.  I  perceived  at  once,  with  the  Rev.  Van  Troil,  that  the 
European  emigrants  had  passed,  during  the  horrible  commotions  of 
the  ninth  and  tenth  century,  to  Iceland.     See  History  of  England. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Crantz  had  informed  me,  in  his  important  book, 

how  they  went  to  Greenland.     I  thought  I  could  trace  the  people 

of  Scandinavia  to  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  I  supposed  my 

friends  had  seen  the  Punic  inscriptions  made  by  them  here  and 

there,  in  the  places  where  they  visited.     Madoc,  prince  of  W  ties, 

and  his  Cambrian  followers,  appeared,  to  my  recollection,  among 

39 


:?► 


306  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES: 

these  bands  of  adventurers.  And  thus  the  northern  lands  of  North 
Ameiica  were  visited  by  the  hyperborean  tribes  from  the  north- 
westernmost  climates  of  Europe  ;  and  the  northwestern  climes  of 
North  America  had  received  inhabitants  of  ibe  same  race  from  the 
northeastern  regions  of  Asia. 

The  Danes,  Fins,  or  Germans,  and  Welchmen,  performing  their 
migrations  gradually  to  the  southwest,  seem  to  have  penetrated  to 
the  country  situated  to  the  south  of  Lake  Ontario,"  which  would 
be  in  the  states  of  New- York  and  Pennsylvania,  "  and  to  have 
fortified  themselves  there ;  where  the  Tartars,  or  Samoieds,  travel- 
ling, by  slow  degrees,  from  Alaska,  on  the  Pacific,  to  the  southeast, 
finally  found  them. 

In  their  course,  these  Asian  colonists  probably  exterminated  the 
Malays,  who  had  penetrated  along  the  Ohio  and  its  streams,  or  drove 
them  to  caverns  abounding  in  saltpetre  and  copperas,  in  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee  ;  where  their  bodies,,  accompanied  with  cloths  and 
ornaments  of  their  peculiar  manufacture,  have  been  repeatedly  dis- 
interred and  examined  by  the  members  of  the  American  Antiqua- 
rian Society. 

Having  achieved  this  conquest,  the  Tartars  and  their  descend- 
ants, had,  probably,  a  much  harder  task  to  perform.  This  was  to 
subdue  the  more  ferocious  and  warlike  European  colonists,  who 
had  intrenched  and  fortified  themselves  in  the  country,  after  the 
arrival  of  the  Tartars,  or  Indians,  as  they  are  now  called,  in  the 
particular  parts  they  had  settled  themselves  in,  along  the  region  of 
the  Atlantic. 

In  Pompey,  Onondaga  county,  are  the  remains,  or  outlines,  of  a 
town,  including  more  than  five  hundred  acres  It  appeared  pro- 
tected by  three  circular  or  elliptical  forts,  eight  miles  distant  from 
each  other  ;  placed  in  such  relative  positions  as  to  form  a  triangle 
round  about  the  town,  at  those  distances. 

It  is  thought,  from  appearances,  that  this  strong  hold  was  stormed 
and  taken,  on  the  line  of  the  north  side.     In  Camillus,  in  the  same 


AND   DISCOV     RIES   IN   THB  WEST. 


307 


county,  are  the  remains  of  two  forts,  one  covering  about  three  acres, 
on  a  very  high  hill  ;  it  had  gateways,  one  opening  to  the  east,  and 
the  other  to  the  west,  toward  a  spring  some  rods  from  the  works  ; 
its  shape  is  elliptical  ;  it  has  a  wall,  in  some  places  ten  feet  high, 
with  a  deep  ditch.  Not  far  from  this  is  another  exactly  like  it,  on- 
ly half  as  large.  Tliere  are  many  of  these  ancient  works  herea- 
bouts ;  one  in  Scipio,  two  near  Auburn,  three  near  Cauandaigua, 
and  several  between  the  Seneca  and  Cayuga  Lakes.  A  number  of 
such  fortifications,  and  burial  places,  have  ako  been  discovered  in 
Ridgeway,  Genesee  county. — Eastmaii's  Netv-York. 

There  is  evidence  enough  that  long  and  bloody  wars  were  waged 
among  the  inhabitants,  in  which  the  Scandinavians,  or  Esquimaux, 
as  they  are  now  called,  seem  to  have  been  overpowered  and  de- 
stroyed in  New- York.  The  survivors  of  the  defeat  and  ruin  re- 
treated to  Labrador," — a  country  lying  between  Hudson's  Bay  and 
the  Atlantic ;  in  latitude  50  and  60  degrees  north,  where  they  have 
remained  secure  from  further  pursuit. 

From  the  known  ferocity  of  the  ancient  Scandinavians,  who, 
with  other  Europeans  of  ancient  times,  we  suppose  to  be  the  au- 
thors of  the  vast  works  about  the  region  of  Onondaga,  dreadful 
wars,  with  infinite  butcheries,  must  have  crimsoned  every  hill  and 
dale  of  this  now  happy  country. 

In  corroboration  of  this  opinion,  we  give  the  following,  which  is 
an  extract  from  remarks  made  on  the  ancient  customs  of  the  Scan- 
dinavians, by  Adam  Clark,  in  a  volume  entitled  "  Clark's  Disco- 
very," page  145. 

1st.  Odin,  or  Woden,  their  supreme  god,  is  there  termed  "  The 
terrible  or  severe  deity  ;  the  father  of  slaughter,  who  carries  deso- 
lation and  fire  ;  the  tumultuous  and  roaring  deity  ;  the  giver  of 
courage  and  victory  ;  he  who  marks  out  who  shall  perish  in  battle  ; 
the  shedder  of  the  blood  of  man.  From  him  is  the  fourth  day  of 
our  week  denominated  Wodensday,  or  Wednesday. 


M 


308 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIK* 


2d.  Frigga,  or  Frega :  She  was  his  consort,  called  also,  Feiorthe, 
mother  Earth.  She  was  the  goddess  of  love  and  debauchery — the 
northern  Venus.  She  was  also  a  warrior,  and  divided  the  souls  of 
the  slain  with  her  husband,  Odin.  From  her  we  have  our  Friday, 
or  Freya's  day  ;  as  on  that  day  she  was  peculiarly  worshipped  ;  as 
was^Odin  on  Wednesday. 

3d.  Thor,  the  god  of  winds  and  tempests,  thunder  and  lightning. 
He  was  the  especial  object  of  worship  in  Norway,  Iceland,  and  con- 
sequently in  the  Zetland  isles.  From  him  we  have  the  name  of 
our  fifth  day,  Thcr's  day  or  Thursday. 

4th.  Tri,  the  god  who  protects  houses.  His  day  of  worship  was 
called  Tyrsday,  or  Tiiseday,  whence  our  Tuesday.  As  to  our  first 
and  second  day,  Sunday  and  Monday,  they  derived  their  names 
from  the  Sun  and  the  Moon,  to  whose  worship  ancient  idolaters  had 
consecrated  them." 

From  this  we  learn  that  they  had  a  knowledge  of  a  small  cycle  of 
time,  called  a  week  of  seven  days,  and  must  have  been  derived,  in 
some  way,  from  the  ancient  Hebrew  Scriptures,  as  here  we  have 
the  first  intimation  of  this  division  of  time.  But  among  the  Mexi- 
cans no  trait  of  a  cycle  of  seven  days  is  found,  says  Humboldt  ; 
which  we  consider  an  additional  evidence  that  the  first  people  who 
found  their  way  to  these  regions,  called  North  and  South  America, 
left  Asia  at  a  period  anterior  at  least  to  the  time  of  Moses  ;  which 
was  full  sixteen  hundred  years  before  Christ. 

But  we  continue  the  quotation.  All  who  die  in  battle,  go  to 
Vajpalla,  Odin's  palace  ;  where  they  amuse  themselves  by  going 
through  their  martial  exercises  ;  then  cutting  each  other  to  pieces  ; 
afterwards  all  the  parts  healing,  they  sit  down  to  their  feasts,  where 
they  quaff  beer  out  of  the  skulls  of  those  whom  they  had  slain  in 
battle,  and  whose  blood  they  had  before  drank  out  of  the  same 
skulls,  when  they  had  slain  them. 

The  Scandinavians  offered  different  kinds  of  sacrifices,  but  espe- 
cially human  ;  and  from  these  they  drew  their  auguries,  by  the  ve- 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IM    THE   WEST 


309 


locity  with  which  the  blood  flowed,  when  they  cut  their  throats, 
and  from  the  appearance  of  the  intestines,  and  especially  the  heart. 
It  was  a  custom  in  Denmark,  to  offer  annually,  in  January,  a  sacri- 
fice of  ninety-nine  cocks,  ninety-nine  dogs,  ninety-nine  horses,  and 
ninety-nine  men ;  besides  other  human  sacrifices,"  on  various  oc- 
casions. 

Such  being  the  fact,  it  is  fairly  presumable  that  as  the  Danes, 
Scandinavians,  and  Lappoiiiac  nations,  found  their  way  from  the 
north  of  Europe  to  Iceland,  Greenland,  and  Labrador ;  and  from 
thence  about  the  regions  of  the  western  lakes,  especially  Ontario ; 
that  the  terrific  worship  of  the  Celtic  gods,  has  been  practised  in 
America,  at  least  in  the  state  of  New- York.  And  it  is  not  impos- 
sible but  this  custom  may  have  pervaded  the  whole  continent,  for 
the  name  of  one  of  these  very  gods,  namely,  Odin,  is  found  among 
the  South  Americans,  and  the  tops  of  the  pyramids,  may  have  been 
the  Altars  of  sacrifice. 

"  We  have  already  fixed  the  attention  of  the  reader,"  says  Ba- 
ron Humboldt,"  on  Yotan,  or  Wodan,  an  American,  who  seems  to  he 
a  member  of  the  same  family  with  the  Woads,  or  Odins,  of  the 
Goths,  and  nations  of  the  Celtic  origin." 

The  same  names  he  says,  are  celebrated  in  India,  Scandina- 
via, and  Mexico,  all  of  which,  is,  by  tradition,  believed  to  point  to 
none  other,  than  to  Noah  and  his  sons.  For,  according  to  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  Mexicans,  as  collected  by  the  Bishop  Francis  Nun- 
nez.de  la  Vega,  their  Wodan  was  grandson  to  that  illurtrious  old 
man,  who,  at  the  time  of  the  great  deluge,  was  saved  on  a  raft  with 
his  family.  He  was  also  at  the  building  of  the  great  edifice,  and 
co-operated  with  the  builder,  which  had  been  undertaken  by  men 
to  reach  the  skies.  The  execution  of  this  rash  project  was  inter- 
rupted ;  each  family  receiving  from  that  time  a  different  language  ; 
when  the  Great  Spirit,  or  Teatl,  ordered  Wodan  to  go  and  people 
the  country  of  Anahuac,  which  is  in  America. 


310  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

"  Think"  says  Dr.  Mitchell,  "  what  a  memorable  spot  is  our 
Onondaga,  where  men  of  the  Malay  race,  from  the  south-west,  and 
of  the  Tartar  blood  from  the  north-west,  and  of  the  Gothic  stock 
from  the  north-east,  have  successively  contended  for  supremacy  and 
rule,  and  which  may  be  considered  as  having  been  possessed  by 
each  long  enough  before"  Columbus  was  born,  or  the  navigating  of 
the  Western  ocean  thought  of. 

"  John  De  Let,  a  Flemish  writer;  says  that  Madoc,  one  of  the  sons 
of  Prince  Owen  Gynnith,  being  disgusted  with  the  civil  wars  which 
broke  out  between  his  brothers,  after  the  death  of  their  father,  fit- 
ted out  several  vessels  ;  and  having  provided  them  with  every  thing 
necessary  for  a  long  voyage,  went  in  quest  of  new  lands  to  the  west- 
tcard  of  Ireland ;  there  he  discovered  very  fertile  countries,"  where 
he  settled ;  and  it  is  very  probable,  Onondaga,  and  the  country 
along  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  around  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  were 
the  regions  of  their  improvements. — Carver,  page  108. 

"  We  learn  from  the  historian,  Charlevoix,  that  the  Eries,  an  in- 
digenous nation  of  the  Malay  race,  who  formerly  inhabited  the 
lands  south  of  lake  Erie,  where  the  western  district  of  Pennsylva- 
nia and  the  State  of  Ohio  now  are.  And  Lewis  Evens,  a  former 
resident  of  the  city  of  New- York,  has  shown  us  in  his  map  of  the 
Middle  Colonies,  that  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  Iroquois  extended 
over  that  very  region.  The  Iroquois  were  of  the  Tartar  stock,  and 
they  converted  the  country  of  the  exterminated  Eries  or  Malays, 
into  a  range  for  the  wild  beasts  of  the  west,  and  a  region  for  their 
own  hunters." 

He  says  the  Scandinavians  emigrated  about  the  10th  century  of 
the  Christian  era,  if  not  earlier ;  and  that  they  may  be  considered 
as  not  only  having  discovered  this  continent,  but  to  have  explored 
its  northern  climes  to  a  great  extent,  and  also  to  have  peopled  them. 

In  the  fourteenth  township,  fourth  range  of  the  Holland  Com- 
pany's lands  in  the  State  of  New- York,  near  the  Ridge  Road  leading 
from  Buffalo  to  Niagara  Falls,  is  an  ancient  fort,  situated  in  a  large 


AND   DISCOVERIES   Ilf    THE  WEST. 


811 


swamp  ;  it  covers  about  five  acres  of  ground ;  large  trees  are  stand- 
ing upon  it.  The  earth  which  forms  this  fort,  was  evidently  brought 
from  a  distance,  as  that  the  soil  of  the  marsh  is  quite  of  another 
kind,  wet  and  miry,  while  the  site  of  the  fort  is  dry  gravel  and 
loam.  The  site  of  this  fortification  is  singular,  unless  we  suppose 
it  to  have  been  a  last  resort,  or  hiding  place  from  an  enemy. 

The  distance  to  the  margin  of  the  marsh  is  about  an  half  mile, 
where  large  quantities  of  human  bones  have  been  found,  on  open- 
ing the  earth,  of  an  extraordinary  size ;  the  thigh  bones  about  two 
inches  longer  than  a  common  sized  man's ;  the  jaw  or  chin  bone 
will  cover  a  large  man's  face ;  the  skull  bones  are  of  an  enormous 
thickness :  the  breast  and  hip  bones  are  also  very  large.  On  being 
exposed  to  the  air  they  soon  moulder  away,  which  denotes  the  great 
length  of  time  since  their  interment.  The  disorderly  manner  in 
which  these  bones  were  found  to  lie,  being  crosswise,  commixed, 
and  mingled,  with  every  trait  of  confusion,  show  them  to  have  been 
deposited  by  a  conquering  enemy,  and  not  by  friends,  who  would 
have  laid  them,  as  the  custom  of  all  nations  has  always  been,  in  a 
more  deferential  mode. 

There  was  no  appearance  of  a  bullet  having  been  the  instrument 
of  their  destruction,  the  evidence  of  which  would  have  been  bro- 
ken limbs.  Smaller  works  of  the  same  kind  abound  in  the  country 
about  lake  Ontario,  but  the  one  of  which  we  have  just  spoken  is 
the  most  remarkable.  This  work,  it  is  likely,  was  a  last  effort  of 
the  Scandinavians. 

North  of  the  mountain,  or  great  slope  toward  the  lake,  there  are 
iio  remains  of  ancient  works  or  tumuli,  which  strongly  argues,  that 
the  mountain  or  ridgeway,  once  w&s  the  southern  boundary  or  shore 
of  lake  Ontario.  But  by  reason  of  some  convulsion  in  nature,  the 
face  of  much  of  the  western  country  has  been  redeemed  from  the  wa- 
ters which  from  the  deluge  had  covered  it- — Northern  Budget,  1827. 

The  following  is  the  opinion  of  Morse,  the  geographer,  on  the 
curious  subject  of  the  original  inhabitants,  or  population  of  America. 


V. 

m 


312 


liMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


li    ' 


I. 


He  says,  "  without  detailing  the  numerous  opinions  of  philoso- 
phers, respecting  the  original  ])npulation  of  this  continent,  he  will, 
in  few  words,  state  the  result  of  his  own  inquiries  on  the  subject, 
and  the  facts  from  which  the  result  is  deduced. 

"  The  Greenlanders  and  Esquimaux,"  which  are  one  in  origin, 
"  were  emigrants  from  the  north-west  of  Europe,"  which  is  Nor-  • 
way  and  Lapland.  A  colony  of  Norwegians  was  planted  in  Ice- 
land,  in  874,  which  is  almost  a  thousand  years  ago.  Greenland, 
which  is  separated  from  the  American  continent  only  by  Davis' 
Strait,  which,  in  several  places  is  of  no  great  width,  was  settled  by 
Eric  Rufus,  a  young  Norwegian,  in  982 ;  and  before  the  11th  cen- 
tury, churches  were  founded  and  a  bishopric  erected,  at  Grade,  the 
capitaLof  the  settlement. 

Soon  after  this,  Rairn,  an  Icelandic  navigator,  by  accident,  disco- 
vered land  to  the  west  of  Greenland.  This  land  received  the  name 
of  Vineland.  It  was  settled  by  a  colony  of  Norwegians  in  1002, 
and  from  the  description  given  of  its  situation  and  productions,  must 
have  been  Labrador,  which  is  on  the  American  continent,  or  New- 
foundland, which  is  but  a  little  way  from  the  continent,  separated 
by  'he  narrow  strait  of  Bellisle,  at  the  north  end  of  the  Gulf  of  St- 
Lawrence,  a  river  of  Canada.  Vineland  was  west  of  Greenland, 
and  not  very  far  to  the  south  of  it.  It  also  produced  grape  vines 
spontaneously.  Mr.  Elis,  in  his  voyage  to  Hudson's  Bay,  informs 
us,  that  the  vine  grows  spontaneously  at  Labrador,  and  compares  the 
fruit  of  it  to  the  currants  of  the  Levant. 

Several  missionaries  of  the  Moravians,  prompted  by  a  zeal  for 
propagating  Christinity,  settled  in  Greenland ;  from  whom  we  learn 
that  the  Esquimaux  perfectly  rcemble  the  natives  of  the  two  coun- 
tries, and  have  intercourse  with  one  another ;  that  a  few  sailcrr 
who  had  acquired  the  knowledge  of  a  few  Greenlandish  words,  re- 
ported, that  these  were  understood  by  the  Esquimaux ;  that  at 
length,  a  Moravian  missionary,  well  acquainted  with  the  language 
of  Greenland,  having  visited  the  country  of  the  Esquimaux,  found 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


313 


jf  philoso- 
it,  he  will, 

le  subject, 

;  in  origin, 
ch  is  Nor-  • 
ed  in  Ice- 
Greenland, 

by  Davis' 
5  settled  by 
B  11th  cen- 

Grade,  the 

dent,  disco- 
id the  name 
nii  in  1002, 
ctions,  must 
nt,  or  New- 
it,  separated 
Gulf  of  St. 
Greenland, 
grape  vines 
Jay,  informs 
ompares  the 

y  a  zeal  for 
3m  we  learn 
le  two  coun- 
few  sailorr 
h  words,  re- 
us; that  at 
he  language 
aiaux,  found 


to  his  astonishment,  that  they  spoke  the  same  language  with  the 
Greenlanders,"  which,  of  course,  was  the  same  with  the  language 
of  Iceland,  and  also  of  Norway,  which  is  in  Europe,  lying  along  on 
the  coast  of  tlie  Atlantic ;  as  th^t  the  first  colony  of  Iceland  was 
from  Norway,  and  from  Iceland  a  first  colony  settled  on  Greenland, 
from  thence  to  Labrador,  which  is  the  continent ;  showing  that  the 
language  of  the  Esquimaux  is  that  of  the  ancient  Norse  of  Europe, 
derived  from  the  more  ancient  Celtic  nations,  who  were  derived 
from  the  descendants  of  Japhcth,  the  son  of  Noah  ;  from  which  we 
perceive,  that  both  from  country  and  lineal  descent,  the  present  in- 
habitants are  brothers  to  the  Esquimaux,  (Indians,  as  they  are  im- 
properly called,)  who  also  are  white,  and  not  copper  coloured,  like 
the  red  men,  or  common  Indians,  who  are  of  the  Tartar  stock. 

The  missionary  found,  "  that  there  was  abundant  evidence  of 
their  being  of  the  same  race,  and  he  was  accordingly  received 
and  entertained  by  them  as  a  friend  and  brother."  These  facts 
prove  the  settlement  of  Greenland  by  an  Icelandic  colony,  and  the 
consanguinity  of  the  Greenlanders  and  Esquimaux. 

Iceland  is  only  about  one  thousand  miles  west  of  Norway,  in 
Europe,  with  more  than  twenty  islands  between,  so  that  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  this  history,  to  render  it  improbable  that 
the  early  navigators  from  Norway  may  have  easily  found  Iceland, 
and  colonised  it. 

"  The  enterprise,  skill  in  navigation,  even  without  the  compass, 
and  roving  habits,  possessed  by  these  early  navigators,  renders  it 
highly  probable,  also,  thit  at  some  period  more  remote  than  the  10th 
century,  that  they  had  pursued  the  same  route  to  Greenland,  and 
planted  colonies  there,  which  is  but  six  hundred  miles  west  of  Ice- 
land. Their  descendants,  the  present  Greenlanders  and  Esqui- 
maux, retaining  somewhat  of  the  enterprise  of  their  ancestors,  have 
always  preserved  a  communication  with  each  other,  by  crossing  and 
recrossing  Davis's  Strait-  The  distance  of  Ocean  between  Ameri- 
ca and  Europe,  on  the  east,  or  America  and  China,  on  the  west,  is 

40 


tI4 


AMERICAIf   A]tTIQUITIE8 


no  objection  to  tlie  passage  of  navigators,  either  from  design  or  stress 
of  weather;  as  that  Coxe,  in  his  Russian  Discoveries,  mentions, 
that  several  Kamschatkadale  vessels,  in  1745,  were  driven  out  to 
sea,  and  forced,  by  stress  of  weather,  to  take  shelter  among  the 
Aleutian  islands,  in  the  Pacific,  a  distance  of  several  hundred  miles ; 
and  also  captain  Cook,  in  one  of  his  voyages,  found  some  natives  of 
one  of  the  islands  of  the  same  ocean,  in  their  war  canoes,  six  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  land  of  their  country." — Morse. 

In  the  year  17S9,  captain  Bligh  was  sent  out  under  the  direction 
of  the  government  of  England,  to  the  Friendly  Islands,  in  the  Pa- 
cific, in  quest  of  the  bread  fruit  plant,  with  the  view  of  planting  it 
in  the  West  Indies.      But  having  got  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  his 
crew  mutinied,  and  put  him,  with  eighteen  of  his  men,  on  board  a 
boat  of  but  thirty-two  feet  in  length,  with  an  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  of  bread,  twenty-eight  gallons  of  water,  twenty  pounds  of 
pork,  three  bottles  of  wine,  fifteen  quarts  rum.    With  this  scanty  pro- 
vision he  was  turned  adrift,  in  the  open  sea,  when  the  vessel  sailed, 
and  left  them  to  their  fate.      Captain  Bligh  then  sailed  for  the  isl- 
and of  Tofoa,  but  being  resisted  by  the  islanders  with  stones,  and 
threatened  with  death,  was  compelled  to  sleer  from  mere  recollec- 
tion, (for  he  was  acquainted  with  those  parts  of  that  ocean)  for  a 
port  in  the  East  India,  called  Tima,  belonging  to  the  Dntrh.      He 
had  been  with  the  noted  Captain  Cook,  in  his  voyages.     The  rea- 
son the  natives  were  so  bold  as  to  pelt  them  with  stones  as  they  at- 
tempted to  land,  was  because  they  perceived  them  to  be  without 
arms.      This  voyage,  however,  they  performed  in  forty-six  days, 
suffering  in  a  most  incredible  manner,  a  distance  of  four  thousand 
milesj  losing  but  one  man,  who  was  killed  by  the  stones  of  the  sa- 
vages, in  attempting  to  get  clear  from  the  shore  of  an  island,  where 
they  had  landed  to  look  for  water. 

"  In  1797,  the  slaves  of  a  ship  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  having 
risen  on  the  crew,  twelve  of  the  latter  leapt  into  a  boat,  and  made 
their  escape.      On  the  thirty-eighth  day,  three  still  survived,  and 


AND    DISC0VERIK3    ly    TMK  WEST 


ai5 


drifted  ashore  at  Barbadoes,  in  the  West  ladies.  In  1799,  six  meu 
in  a  boat  from  St.  Helena,  lost  their  course,  and  nearly  a  month  af- 
ter, five  of  them  surviving,  reached  the  coast  of  South  America,  a 
distance  of  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixtv  miles." — Tho- 
inas's  Travels,  page  283. 

This  author,  Mr.  David  Tiiomas,  whose  work  was  published  at 
Auburn,  1819,  is  of  the  opinion,  that  "  the  Mexicans  and  Peruvi- 
ana derived  their  origin,  by  arriving  in  wrecks  from  the  sea  coast 
without  the  Strait  of  Gibralter,  soon  after  the  commencement  of 
navigation,  driven  thither  by  the  current,  and  trade  winds.  See  ou 
page  135,  and  onward.  He  says,  "  if  we  consider  in  what  an  ear- 
ly age  navigation  was  practised,  and  consequently  how  soon  after 
that  era  America  would  receive  inhabitants  within  its  torrid  zone, 
it  will  appear  probable  that  the  Mexicans  were  a  great  nation  be- 
fore either  the  Tartars  or  Esquimaux  arrived  on  the  northern  part 
of  this  continent." 

Navigation  was  indeed  commenced  at  an  early  age,  by  the  Egj'p- 
tians  and  Phoenicians,  probably  more  than  sixteen  hundred  years 
before  the  time  of  Christ,  (See  Morse's  Chronology,)  and  doubt- 
less, from  time  to  time,  as  in  Ir.ter  ages,  arrivals,  either  from  design, 
or  froir  being  driven  to  sea  by  storm,  took  place,  so  that  Egyptians, 
Phoenicians,  and  individuals  of  other  nations  of  that  age,  unques« 
tionably  found  their  way  to  South  America,  and  also  to  the  south- 
ern parts  of  North  America. 

But  we  entertain  the  opinion,  that  even  sooner  than  this,  the 
woods  of  the  Americas,  had  received  inhabitants,  as  we  have  be- 
fore endeavoured  to  argue  in  this  work,  at  a  time  when  there  was 
more  land,  either  in  the  form  of  islands  in  groups,  or  in  bodies,  ap- 
proaching to  that  of  continents,  situated  both  in  the  Pacific  and  At- 
lantic Oceans ;  but  especially  that  of  Atalantis,  once  in  the  Atlan* 
tic,  between  America  and  the  coast  of  Gibralter. 

In  the  remarks  of  Carver  on  this  subject,  we  mean  the  author  of 
Carver's  Travels,  through  the  interior  parts  of  north-western  Ame- 


316 


AMCniCAIf   ANTIQUITIES 


rica,  we  have  the  following.  "  Many  of  the  ancients  are  supposed 
to  have  known  that  this  quarter  of  the  globe,  not  only  existed,  but 
also  that  it  was  inhabited." 

"Plato,  who  wrote  about  five  hundred  years  before  Cliiist,  in  his 
book  entitled  "  Timeaus,"  has  asserted,  that  beyond  the  island 
which  he  calls  Atalanlis,"  as  learned  from  the  Egyptian  Priest,  and 
which,  according  to  his  description,  was  situated  in  the  western 
Ocean,  opposite,  as  we  have  before  said,  to  the  Strait  of  Gibralter, 
"  there  were  a  great  number  of  other  islands,  and  behind  those  a 
vast  continent." 

If  some  have  affected  to  treat  the  tradition  of  the  existence  of 
this  island  as  a  chimera,  we  would  ask,  how  should  the  Priest  be 
able  to  tell  us  that  behind  that  island,  farther  west,  was  a  vast  con- 
tinent, which  proves  to  be  true,  for  that  continent  is  America ;  or 
rather  as  a  continent  is  spoken  of  by  Plato  at  all,  lying  west  of  Eu- 
rope, we  are  of  the  opinion,  that  this  fact  should  carry  conviction, 
that  the  island  also  existed,  as  well  as  the  continent ;  end  why  not 
At  lantis,  if  PI  .to  knew  of  the  one,  did  he  not  of  the  ether.' 

If  the  Egyptian  Priests  had  told  Plato,  that  anciently  there  exist- 
ed a  certain  island,  with  a  contment  on  the  west  of  it,  and  the  Strait 
of  Gibralter  on  the  east  of  it,  and  it  was  found,  in  succeeding  ages, 
that  neither  the  straits  nor  the  continent  were  ever  known  to  exist, 
it  would  be,  indeed,  clearly  inferred,  that  neither  was  the  island 
known  to  them.  But  as  the  Straits  do  exist,  and  the  western  con- 
tinent also,  is  it  very  absurd  to  euppose,  that  Atalantis  was  indeed 
situated  between  these  two  facts,  or  parts  of  the  earth  now  known 
to  all  the  world  ? 

Carver  says  that  Ovideo,  a  celebrated  Spanish  Author,  the  same 
who  became  the  friend  of  Columbus,  whom  he  accompanied  on  his 
second  voyage  to  the  New  World,  has  made  no  scruple  to  affirm, 
that  the  Antilles  are  the  famous  Hesperides,  so  often  mentioned  by 
the  poets,  which  are  at  length  restored  to  the  Kings  of  Spain,  the 
descendants  of  King  Hesperus,  who  lived  upwards  of  three  thoU' 


AND   DISCOVERIES   I."*    THE   VTCST. 


817 


hi» 


sand  years  ogo,  and  from  whom  these  islands  received  their  name." 
De  Laet,  a  Flemish  writer,  says,  "  it  is  related  by  Pliny,"  (the 
Elder,  one  of  the  most  liiiirned  of  the  ancient  Roman  writers,  who 
was  born  twenty-three  years  after  the  time  of  Christ,  and  left  be- 
hind him  no  less  than  37  volumes  on  natural  history) — and  some 
other  writers — "  that  on  many  of  thf  islands  near  the  western  eoast 
of  Africa,  particularly  on  the  Canaries,  some  ancient  edifices  were 
seen  •"  even  called  ancient  by  Plyny,  a  terra  which  would  throw 
the  time  of  their  erection  back  to  a  period,  perhaps  five  or  six  hun- 
dred years  before  Christ. 

"  From  this  it  is  highly  probable,  says  Mr.  Carver,  that  the  in- 
habitants, having  deserted  those  edifices,  even  in  the  time  of  Pliny, 
may  have  passed  over  to  South  America,  the  passage  being  neither 
long  nor  difficult.  This  migration,  according  to  the  calculation  of 
those  authors,  must  have  taken  place  more  than  two  hundred  years 
before  the  Christian  era  ;  at  a  time  when  the  people  of  Spain  were 
much  troubled  by  the  Carthagenians  ;  from  whom  these  islanders, 
having  obtained  some  knowledge  of  navigation  and  the  construction 
of  boats,  might  have  retired  to  the  Antilles,  by  the  way  of  the  West- 
ern Isles,  which  were  exactly  half  way  in  their  vo;age,"  to  South 
America. 

Emanuel  de  Morez,  a  Portuguese,  in  his  history  of  Brazil,  a  pro- 
vince of  South  America,  asserts  that  America  has  been  wholly  peo- 
pled by  the  Carthegenians  and  Israelites.  He  brings,  as  a  proof  of 
this  assertion,  the  discoveries  the  former  are  known  to  have  made 
at  a  great  distance  beyond  the  western  coast  of  Africa.  The  far- 
ther progress  of  which  being  put  a  stop  to,  by  the  senate  of  Car- 
thage, some  hundred  years  before  Christ,  those  who  happened  to 
be  then  in  the  newly  discovered  countries,  being  cut  off  from  all 
communications  with  their  countrymen,  and  destitute  of  many  ne- 
cessaries of  life,  fell  into  a  state  of  barbarism. 

George  De  Horn,  a  learned  Dutchman,  who  has  wiitten  on  the 
subject  of  the  first  peopling  of  America,  maintains  that  the  first 


ai8 


AUERICAN    ANTIQUITICI 


founders  of  the  colonies  of  this  country,  were  Scythians,  w)io  were 
much  more  ancient  than  the  Tartars,  but  were  derived  from  the 
Scythians  ;  as  the  term  Tartar,  is  but  of  recent  date,  when  com- 
pared with  the  far  more  aiicioiit  appclhxtion  of  Scythian,  the  de- 
scendants of  Shem,  the  great  progenitor  of  the  Jews. 

He  also  boHeves  that  the  Phoenicians  and  Carthagenians,  aftcr- 
terwards,  got  footing  in  America,  by  crossing  the  Atlantic,  and  like- 
wise the  Chinese,  by  way  of  the  Pacific.  These  Phoenician  and 
Carthagenian  migrations,  he  supposes  lo  have  been  before  the  time 
of  Solomon,  king  of  Israel,  who  flourished  a  thousand  years  before 
Christ. 

Mr.  Thomas,  of  Auburn,  in  his  volume,  entitled  "  Travels  through 
the  Western  Country,"  has  devoted  some  twenty  pages  to  the  sub- 
ject of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  America,  with  ability  evidencing 
an  enlarged  degree  of  acquaintance  with  it — he  says,  explicitly,  on 
page  288,  that  "  the  Phoeneoians  were  early  acquainted  wiih  those 
shores  ;"  "  believes  that  vessels,  sailing  out  of  the  Mediterranean, 
may  have  been  wrecked  on  the  American  shores  ;  also  colonies 
from  the  west  of  Europe,  and  from  Africa,  in  the  same  way.  Sup- 
poses that  Egyptians  and  Syrians  settled  in  Mexico  ;  the  former 
the  authors  of  the  pyramids  of  South  America,  and  that  the  Syrians 
are  the  same  with  the  Jews  ;  wanting  nothing  to  complete  this  fact 
but  the  rite  of  circumcision  ;  says  the  Greeks  were  the  only,  or 
first  people,  who  practised  raising  tumuli  around  the  urns  which  con- 
tained the  ashes  of  their  heroes." 

And,  as  we  know,  tumuli  are  in  abundance  in  the  west,  raised 
over  the  ashes,  as  we  suppose,  of  their  heroes  ;  should  we  not  in- 
fer that  the  practice  was  borrowtd  from  that  people.  This  would 
prove  them  originally  from  the  regions  ol  'be  Mediterranean. 

But  notwithstanding  our  agreement  with  th  s  writer,  that  many 
nations,  as  the  Greeks,  the  Egyptians,  the  Syrians,  the  Phoenicians, 
Carthagenians,  Europeans,  Romans,  Asiatics,  Scythians,  and  Tar- 
tars, have,  in  different  eras  of  time,  contributed  to  the  peopling  of 


AND  DISCOVERIES    Ilf   THE    WEST 


319 


v]\o  were 
from  the 
hen  com- 
,  the  de- 

ins,  aftcr- 
,  and  like- 
lician  and 
e  the  time 
•ars  before 

els  through 
to  the  sub- 
evidencing 
icplicitly,  on 
I  wiih  those 
literranean, 
Iso  colonies 
way.    Sup- 
the  former 
the  Syrians 
ete  this  fact 
he  only,  or 
which  con- 
west,  raised 
d  we  not  in- 
This  would 
anean. 
r,  that  many 
Phoenicians, 
ns,  and  Tar- 
peopling  of 


America ;  yet  we  believe,  with  the  great  and  c  'ebrated  naturalist, 
Dr.  Mitchell,  that  the  anocstord  of  the  people  known  by  the  appel- 
lation of  Mxl'iys,  now  peopling  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  were 
nearly  amonc;  the  first  who  set  foot  on  the  coasts  of  America.  And 
that  tlie  people  who  settled  on  the  islands  of  the  Atlantic,  and  es- 
pecially that  of  Atalantis,  now  no  more,  immediately  after  the  dis- 
persion, were  they  who,  first  of  all,  the  Malay  second,  filled  all 
America  with  their  descendants. 

But  in  process  of  ages,  as  the  arts  came  on,  navigation,  even 
without  the  compass,  was  practised,  if  not  as  systematically  as  at 
the  present  time,  yet  with  nearly  as  wide  a  range  ;  and  as  convul- 
sions in  the  earth,  such  as  divided  one  part  of  it  from  another,  as  in 
the  days  of  Peleg  ;  removing  islands,  changing  the  shape  of  conti- 
nents, and  separating  the  inhabitants  of  distant  places  from  each 
other,  by  destroying  tlie  land,  or  island »,  between,  so  that  when 
shippin.;,  whether  large  or  small,  as  in  /"le  time  of  the  Phoenicians, 
Tyrlans,  of  King  Solomon,  the  Creeks,  and  Romans,  came  to  navi- 
gate the  seas,  America  was  found,  visited  and  colonized  anew.     In 
this  way  we  can  account  for  the  introduction  of  arts  among  the 
more  ancient  inhabitants  that  they  found  here  ;   which  arts    are 
clearly  spoken  of  in  the  traditions  of  the  Mexicans,  who  tell  us  of 
white  and  bearded  men,  as  related  by  Humboldt,  who  came  from 
the  sun,  (as  they  supposed  the  Spaniards  did,)  changed  or  reduc- 
ed the  wandering  millions  of  the  woods,  to  order  and  government, 
introduced  among  them  the  art  of  agriculture,  a  knowledge  of  me- 
tals, with  that  of  architecture  ;  so  that  when  Columbus  discovered 
America,  it  was  filled  with  cities,  towns,  cultivated  fields  and  coun- 
tries ;  palaces,  vast  aqueducts,  and  roads  and  highways  of  the  na- 
tions, equal  with,  if  not  exceeding,  in  some  resj  cvts,  even  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Roman  countries,  before  the  time  of  Christ. 

But  as  learning,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  shape  of  the  earth,  in 
the  times  of  the  nations  we  have  spoken  of  above,  was  not  in  the 
possession  of  men  ;  and  from  incessant  wars  and  revolutionr     *"  na- 


820 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


tlons,  what  discoveries  may  have  been  made,  were  lost  to  mankind ; 
so  that  some  of  the  very  countries  once  known  to  the  first  navigc- 
tors,  have,  in  later  ages,  been  discovered  over  again. 

We  will  produce  one  instance  of  a  discovery  which  has  been 
lost — the  land  of  Ophir — where  the  Tyrian  ileets  went  for  gold,  in 
the  days  of  Solomon.  "Where  is  it  ?  The  most  learned  do  not 
know,  cannot  agree.  It  is  lost  as  to  identy.  Some  think  it  in  Afri- 
ca ;  some  in  the  islands  of  the  South  Atlantic,  and  some  in  South 
America  ;  and  although  it  is,  wherever  it  may  be,  undoubtedly  an 
inhabited  country,  yet  as  to  certainty,  about  its  location,  it  is  un- 
known. If  all  the  fast  discoveries  had  been  written  down,  with 
their  latitudes  and  longitudes,  and  names  been  recorded,  all  this 
confusion  could  never  have  happened.  But  this  science  was  un- 
known in  the  first  ages  ;  on  which  account,  aided  in  this  way,  not 
only  countries  of  the  earth  unknown,  have  been  brought  to  light, 
but  a  world  of  discoveries  of  other  descriptions,  which,  from  the 
late  invention  of  printing,  supersedes  the  laborious  way  of  writing, 
of  hieroglyphics,  and  of  paintings  ;  so  that  the  improvements  of 
men  are  likely  never  to  retrograde  more  ;  while  the  work  of  disco- 
very shall  proceed,  till  earth  is  ripe  to  be  reaped,  and  shall  be 
changed,  aud  a  new  order  or  things  succeed  ;  which,  perhaps,  shall 
furnish  phenomena  of  sufficient  mystery  to  occupy  the  enlargad 
scale  of  intellectual  genius,  in  the  work  of  research  ;  such  as  the 
angels  of  God  delight  in.  Under  this  idea,  may,  perhaps,  be  quot- 
ed, "  At  his  right  hand  are  pleasures  for  ever  more." — Bible. 


k^a    DISCO VKRILS    I?(    THiC    M'ESr 


321 


DISAPPEARANCE  OF  MANY  ANCIENT  LAKES  OF  THE  WEST, 
AND  OF  THE  FORMATION  OF  SEA  COAL, 

This  description  of  American  Antiquities,  comes  to  the  mind 
with  a  far  greater  power  to  captivate,  than  the  accounts  already 
given  ;  because  to  know  that  the  millions  of  mankind,  with  their 
multifarious  works,  covering  the  vales  of  all  our  rivers,  many  of 
which  were  once  the  bottoms  of  immense  lakes  :  And  where  the 
tops  of  the  tallest  forests,  peer  to  the  skies,  or  where  the  towering 
spires  of  many  a  Christian  temple  make  glad,  with  their  sight,  the 
heart  of  civilized  man,  and  where  the  smoking  chimnies  of  his  wide- 
spread habitations — once  sported  the  monstrous  lake  serpent,  and 
the  finny  tribes,  as  birds  passed,  in  scaly,  waves  alo  ;g  the  horizon. 

We  look  to  the  soil  where  graze  the  peaceful  flock ;  to  the  fields 
where  wave  a  thousiind  harvests  ;  to  the  air  above,  where  play  the 
wings  of  the  low  flighted  swallow  ;  and  to  the  road,  where  the 
sound  of  passing  wheels  denote  the  course  of  men  ;  and  say,  can 
this  be  so ;  was  all  this  space  once  the  home  of  the  waves  ?  Where 
eels  and  shell  fish  once  congregated  in  their  houses  of  mud,  is  now 
fixed  the  foundation  of  many  a  stately  mansion,  the  dwelling  of 
man  ;  such  the  mutation  of  matter,  and  the  change  of  habitation. 

We  forbear  to  ramble  farther  in  this  field  of  speculation,  which 
opens  before  us  with  such  immensity  of  prospect,  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  the  disappearance  of  lakes,  supposed  to  have  existed  in 
the  west. 

To  do  this,  we  shall  avail  ourselves  of  the  opinions  of  several  dis- 
tinguished authors,  as  Volney,  in  his  travels  in  America  ;  School- 
craft, in  his  travels  in  the  central  parts  of  the  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi ;  and  Professor  Beck,  in  his  Gazetteer  of  Illinois  and  Mis- 
souri . 

41 


322 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


We  commence  with  the  gifted  and  highly  chissical  writer,  C  !'. 
Volney,  who,  although  we  do  not  subscribe  to  his  notions  of  theol- 
ogy, yet  as  a  naturalist,  we  esteem  him  of  the  liighest  class,  and 
his  statements,  with  his  deductions,  to  be  worthy  of  attention. 

He  commences  by  saying,  that  in  the  structure  of  the  mountains 
of  the  United  States,  exists  a  fact  more  strikingly  apparent  than  in 
any  other  part  of  the  world,  which  must  singularly  have  increased 
the  action,  and  varied  the  movements,  of  the  waters.  If  we  atten- 
tively examine  the  land,  or  even  the  maps  of  this  country,  we  must 
perceive  that  the  principal  chains  or  ridges  of  thfe  AUeghanies,  Blue 
Ridge,  &c.,  all  run  in  a  transverse  or  cross  direction,  to  the  course 
of  all  the  great  rivers  ;  and  that  these  rivers  have  been  forced  to 
rupture  their  mounds,  or  barriers,  and  break  through  these  ridges, 
in  order  to  make  their  way  to  the  sea  from  the  bosoms  of  the 
valleys. 

This  is  evident  in  the  Potomac,  Susquehannah,  Delaware,  James 
River,  and  others,  where  they  issue  from  the  confines  of  the  moun- 
tain, to  enter  the  lower  country.  But  the  example  which  most  at- 
tracted his  attention  on  the  spot,  was  that  of  the  Potomac,  three 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Shenandoa.  He  was  coming  from 
Fredericktown,  about  twenty  miles  distant,  and  travelling  from  the 
southeast  toward  the  northwest,  through  a  woody  county,  with  gen- 
tle ascents  and  descents  ;  after  he  had  crossed  one  ridge,  pretty 
distinctly  marked,  though  by  no  means  steep,  began  to  see  before 
him,  eleven  or  twelve  miles  Avestward,  the  chain  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
resembling  a  lofty  rampart,  covered  with  forests,  and  having  a 
breach  through  it  from  top  to  bottom.  He  again  descended  into  the 
undulating  woody  country,  which  separated  liim  from  it  ;  and  at 
length,  on  approaching  it,  he  found  himself  at  the  foot  of  this  great 
mountainous  rampart,  which  he  had  to  cross,  and  ascertained  to  be 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards  high,  or  an  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-one rods;  nearly  an  half  mile. 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


3'3i 


On  emerglug  from  the  wood,  he  had  a  full  view  of  this  tremeu- 
dous  breach,  which  he  judged  to  be  about  twelve  hundred  yards 
wide,  or  two  huiided  and  twenty-five  rods,  which  is  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile.  Thro'  the  bottom  of  this  breach  ran  the  Potomac, 
leaving  on  its  left  a  passable  bank  or  slope,  and  on  its  right  washing 
the  foot  of  the  breach  On  both  sides  of  the  chasm,  from  top  to 
bottom,  mnny  trees  were  then  growing  among  the  rocks,  and  in  part 
concealed  the  place  of  the  rupture  ;  but  ut  two  thirds  of  the 
way  up,  on  the  right  side  of  the  river,  a  large  perpendicular  space 
remains  quite  bare,  and  displays  plainly  the  traces  and  scars  of  the 
ancient  land,  or  natural  wall,  whic!  once  dammed  up  this  river, 
formed  of  grey  quartz,  which  the  victorious  river  has  overthrown, 
rolling  its  fragments  a  considerable  distance  down  its  course.  Some 
large  blocks  that  have  resisted  its  force,  still  remain  as  testimonials 
of  the  convulsion. 

The  bed  of  this  river,  at  this  place,  is  rugged,  with  fixed  rocks, 
which  ere,  however,  gradually  wearing  away.  Its  rapid  waters 
boil  and  foam  through  these  obstacles,  which,  for  a  distance  of  two 
miles  form  very  dangerous  falls  or  rapids.  From  the  height  of  the 
mountain,  on  each  side  of  the  river,  and  from  attending  circumstanc- 
es, the  rapids  below  the  gap  and  the  narrows,  for  several  miles 
above  the  immediate  place  of  rupture,  are  sufficient  evidence  that 
at  this  place  was  originally  a  mountain  dam  to  the  river,  consequent- 
ly a  lake  above  must  have  been  the  effect. 

"  At  the  end  of  three  miles,  he  came  to  the  coifluence  of  the  ri- 
ver Shenaudoa,  which  issued  out  suddenly  from  the  steep  moun- 
tain of  the  Blue  Ridge.  This  river  is  but  about  one  third  as  wide 
as  the  Potomac  ;"  having,  like  that  river,  also  broken  through  a 
part  of  the  same  ridge.  He  says,  "the  more  he  considered  this 
spot  and  its  circumstances,  the  more  he  was  confirmed  in  the  belief 
that  formerly  the  chain  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  in  its  entire  state,  com- 
pletely denied  the  Potomac  a  passage  onward  ;  and  that  then  all 
the  waters  of  the  upper  part  of  the  river,  having  no  issue,  forined 


334  *  AMEBICAX    ANTIQUITIE« 

•everal  considerable  Inkes.  The  numerous  tranverse  chains  that 
succeed  each  other,  beyond  Fort  Cumberland,  could  not  fail  to  oc- 
casion several  more  west  of  North  Mountain." 

"  On  the  other  hand,  all  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah  and  Co- 
nigocheague,  must  have  been  the  basin  of  a  single  lake,  extending 
from  Staunton  to  Cliambersburgh  ;  and  as  the  level  of  the  hills, 
even  those  from  which  these  two  rivers  derive  their  source,  is  much 
below  the  chains  of  the  Eluge  Ridge  and  North  Mountain,  it  is 
evident  that  this  lake  must  have  been  bounded,  at  first,  only  by  the 
general  line  of  the  summit  of  these  two  great  chains  ;  so  that  in 
the  earliest  ages  it  must  have  spread,  like  them,  toward  the  south, 
as  far  as  the  great  Alleghanies." 

At  that  period,  the  two  upper  branches  of  James  River,  equally 
bounded  by  the  Blue  Ridge,  would  have  swelled  it  with  all  their 
waters  ;  while  toward  the  north,  the  general  level  of  the  lake,  find- 
ing no  obstacles,  must  have  spread  itself  between  the  Blue  Ridge 
and  the  chain  of  Kittatinny,  not  only  to  the  Susquehannah  and 
Schuylkill,  but  beyond  the  Schuylkill,  and  even  the  Delaware. 

Then  all  the  lower  country,  lying  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and 
the  sea,  had  only  smaller  streams,  furnished  by  the  eastern  declivi- 
ties of  that  ridge,  and  the  overflowing  of  the  lake  pouring  from  its 
summit  over  the  brow  of  the  ridge  ;  in  many  places  forming  cas- 
cades of  beauty,  which  marked  the  scenery  of  primeval  landscape, 
,  immediately  after  the  deluge. 

"  In  consequence,  the  liver  there,  being  less,  and  the  land  gene- 
rally more  flat,  the  ridge  of  taick  granite  must  have  stopped  the 
waters,  and  formed  marshy  lakes.  The  sea  must  have  come  up 
to  the  vicinity  of  this  ridge,  and  there  occasioned  other  mashes  of 
the  same  kind,  as  the  Dismal  Swamp,  near  Norfolk  ;"  being  partly 
in  the  states  of  Maryland  and  Delaware.  "  And  if  the  reader  re- 
collect, the  stratum  of  black  mud  mingled  with  osier  and  trees, 
which  is  found  every  where  in  boring  on  the  coast,  he  will  see  in 
it  a  proof  of  the  truth  of  this  hypothesis." 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN    THE  WEST. 


325 


Hut  when  the  great  embaiikmeat  gave  way,  by  the  weight  of  the 
waters  above,  or  by  attrition,  convulsion,  or  whatever  may  have 
been  the  cause  of  their  rupture,  tlie  rush  of  the  waters  brought  from 
above,  all  that  stratum  of  earth  now  I3  ing  on  the  top  of  these  sub- 
terranean trees,  osiers,  anJ  mud,  above  noticed. 

"  This  operation  must  have  been  fo  much  the  easier,  as  Blue 
Ridge  in  general,  is  not  a  homogeneous  mass  crystalizcd  in  vast 
strata,  but  a  heap  of  detached  blocks,  of  difcient  magnitudes,  mix- 
ed with  vegetable  mould,  easily  diOusible  in  water;  it  is  in  fact,  a 
wall,  the  stones  of  which  are  imbedded  in  clay  ;  and  as  its  declivities 
are  very  steep,  it  frequently  happens  that  thaws  and  heavy  rains, 
by  carrying  away  the  earth,  deprive  the  masses  of  stone  of  their 
support,  and  then  the  fall  of  one  or  more  of  these,  occasions  very 
considerable  stone  slips  or  avalanches,  which  continue  sometimes 
for  several  hours." 

"  From  this  circumstance,  the  falls  from  the  lake  must  have  acted 
with  the  more  effect  and  rapidity.  Their  first  attempts  have  left 
traces  in  those  gaps  with  which  the  line  of  summits  is  indented 
from  space  to  space,  or  from  ridge  to  ridge.  It  may  be  clearly  per- 
ceived on  the  spot,  that  these  places  were  the  first  drains  of  the 
surplus  waters,  subsequently  abandoned  for  others;  where  the  work 
of  demolition  was  more  easy." 

"  It  is  obvious,  that  the  lakes  flowing  ofi'  must  have  changed  the 
whole  face  of  the  lower  country.  By  this  were  brought  down  all 
these  earths  of  a  secondary  form.ation,  that  compose  the  present 
plain.  The  ridge  of  talcky  granite,  pressed  by  more  frequent  and 
voluminous  inundations,  gave  way  in  several  points,  and  its  marshes 
added  their  mud  to  the  black  mud  of  the  shore,  which,  at  present, 
we  find  buried  under  the  alluvial  earth,  afterward  brought  down  by 
the  enlarged  rivers." 

In  the  valley  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  North  Mountain,  the 
changes  that  took  place,  were  conformable  to  the  mode  in  which 
the  water  flowed  off     Several  breaches  having,  at  once  or  in  suc- 


32C 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


cession,  given  a  passage  to  the  streams  of  water,  now  called  James, 
Potomac,  Susquehannah,  Schuylkill,  and  Delaware,  their  general 
and  common  reservoir  was  divided  into  as  many  distinct  lakes,  sepa- 
rated by  the  risin<i,;  of  the  ground  that  exceeded  this  level.  Each 
of  these  lakes  had  its  particular  drain,  and  this  drain  being  at  length 
worn  down  to  the  lowest  level,  the  land  vras  left  completely  un- 
covered. 

This  musi,  have  occunrd  earlier  with  Jamos,  Susquehaimah, 
and  Delaware,  because  their  basins  are  more  elevated,  and  it  must 
have  happened  more  ■■ecently  with  the  Potomac,  for  the  opposite 
reason,  its  basin  being  the  deepest  of  all." 

"  How  far  the  Delaware  then  extended  the  reflux  of  its  waters 
toward  the  east,  he  could  not  ascertain  ;  however,  it  appears  its  ba- 
Lin  was  bounded  by  the  ridge  that  accompanies  its  left  bank,  and 
which  is  the  apparent  continuation  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  auL  North 
ni9untain.  It  is  probable  that  its  basin  has  always  been  separate 
from  that  of  the  Hudson,  as  it  is  certain  that  the  Hudson  has  al- 
ways had  a  distinct  basin,  the  limit  and  mound  of  which,  were 
above  West  Point,  at  the  place  called  the  Highlands. 

To  every  one  who  views  this  spot,  it  seems  incontestible,  that 
the  transverse  chain  bearing  the  nar.e  of  the  Highlands,  was  for- 
merly a  bar  to  the  course  of  the  entire  river,  and  kept  its  waters  at 
a  considerable  height ;  and  considering  that  the  tide  flows  as  far  as 
ten  miles  above  Albany,  is  the  proof  that  the  level  above  the  ridge, 
was  a  lake,  which  reached  as  far  as  to  the  rapids  at  Fort  Edward. 

At  that  time,  therefore,  the  Cahoes  or  falls  of  the  Mohawk  did 
not  appear,  and  till  this  lake  was  drained  off'  through  the  gap  at 
West  Point,  the  sound  of  those  falls  were  not  heard. 

"  The  existence  of  this  lake  explains  the  cause  of  the  alluvials, 
petrified  shells,  and  strata  of  schist  and  clay,  mentioned  by  Dr. 
Mitchell,  and  proves  the  justice  of  the  opinions  of  this  judicious 
observer,  respecting  the  stationary  presence  of  waters  in  ages  past, 
along  the  valley  of  many  of  the  American  rivers.     These  ancient 


AND    DISCOVERIES    III    THE    VfEdT- 


327 


1  James, 
general 
es,  sepa- 
1.  Each 
at  length 
ctcly  un- 

lehaiinah, 
id  it  must 
;  opposite 

its  waters 
;ars  its  ba- 
bank,  and 
anc  North 
n  separate 
son  has  al- 
lich,  were 

tible,  that 
was  for- 
waters  at 
&  as  far  as 
the  ridge, 
Edward, 
lawk  did 
the  gap  at 

alluvials, 
ed  by  Dr. 
9  judicious 

ages  past, 
se  ancient 


lakes,  now  dreaned  by  the  rupture  of  their  mouuds,  explains  an- 
other appearance  which  is  observed  in  the  valley  of  such  rivers  as 
are  supposed  to  have  been  once  lakes,  as  the  Tennessee,  the  Ken- 
tucky, the  Mis.sissi])pi,  the  Kauhawiiy,  iiiifl  the  Ohio.  This  ap- 
pearance is  the  several  stages  or  Hats,  observed  on  tlie  banks  of 
these  rivers,  and  mast  of  the  rivers  of  America,  as  if  tlie  watei 
once  was  higher,  than  at  subse(iucnt  periods,  and  by  some  means 
were  drained  olT  more ;  so  that  the  volume  of  water  fell  lower, 
when  a  new  mark  of  embankment  would  be  formed,  marking  the 
original  heights  of  the  shores  of  these  rivers. 

In  none  is  this  appearance  more  perceptible  than  the  Ohio,  at  the 
place  called  Cincinnati,  or  Fort  Washington;  here  the  original,  or 
first  bank,  is  nearly  fifty  feet  high,  and  runs  along  parallel  with  the 
river,  at  the  distance  of  about  seventy-five  rods.  The  high  floods, 
sometimes  even  now,  overflow  this  first  level. ' 

At  other  places  the  banks  are  marked,  not  with  so  high  an  an- 
cient shore,  but  then  the  lowness  of  the  country,  in  such  places,  ad- 
mitted the  spread  of  the  waters  to  the  foot  of  the  hills  of  nature. 
When  we  examine  the  arrangement  of  these  flats,  which  are  pre- 
sented in  the  form  of  stages  along  this  river,  we  remain  convinced 
that  even  the  most  elevated  part  of  the  plaii;,  or  highest  level,  about 
Cincinnati,  has  been  once  the  seat  of  waters,  and  even  the  primi- 
tive bed  of  the  river,  which  appears  to  have  had  three  different  pe- 
riods of  decline,  till  it  has  sunken  to  its  present-bed  or  place  of  its 
current." 

"  The  first  of  the  periods  was  the  time  whei  the  transverse  ridg- 
es of  the  hills  yet  entire,  barred  up  the  course  of  the  Ohio,  and  act- 
ing as  mounds  to  it,  kept  the  water  level  with  their  summits.  All 
the  country  within  this  level  was  then  one  immense  lake,  or  marsh 
of  stagnant  water.  In  lapse  of  time,  and  from  the  periodical  ac- 
tion of  the  floods,  occasioned  by  the  annual  melting  of  the  snows, 
some  feeble  parts  of  the  mound  were  worn  away  by  the  water." 


r 


^»i*^. 


329 


AMERICAN    ANTiqUrriEa 


**  One  of  the  gaps  having  at  length  given  away  to  the  current, 
the  whole  eflort  of  the  waters  was  collected  in  that  point,  which 
soon  hollowed  out  for  itself  a  f^reater  depth,  and  thus  sunk  the  lake 
several  yards.  This  first  operation  uncovered  the  upper  or  first  level 
on  which  the  waters  had  stood,  from  the  time  of  the  subsiding  of 
the  deluge  till  the  first  rupture  took  place. 

From  the  appearances  of  the  shores  of  the  river,  it  seems  to  have 
maintained  its  position  after  the  first  draining,  some  length  of  lime, 
80  as  distinctly  to  mark  the  position  of  the  waters,  when  a  second 
draining  took  place,  because  the  waters  had,  by  their  action,  remo- 
ved whate\  er  may  have  opposed  the  first  attempt  to  break  down 
their  mound  or  barrier. 

"  The  third  and  last  rent  of  the  barrier,  took  place  at  length,  when 
the  fall  of  the  water  became  more  furious,  being  now  more  concen- 
trated, scooped  out  for  itself  a  narrower  and  deeper  chaimel,  which 
is  its  present  bed,  leaving  all  the  immenss  alluvial  regions  of  the 
Ohio  bare,  and  e:.po:»ed  to  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

"  It  is  probable  that  the  Ohio  has  been  obstructed  at  more  places 
than  one,  from  Pittsburgh  to  the  rapids  of  Louisville,  as  that  below 
Silver  creek,  about  five  miles  from  the  rapids  of  the  Ohio,  and 
towards  Galliopolis  and  the  Sciota,  several  transverse  chains  of 
mountains  exist,  very  capable  of  answering  this  purpose.  Volney 
says  it  was  not  till  his  return  from  Fort  Vincent  on  the  Wabash, 
that  he  was  struck  with  the  disposition  of  a  chain  of  hills  below 
Silver  Creek." 

This  ridge  crosses  the  basin  of  the  Ohio  from  north  to  south,  and 
has  obliged  the  river  to  change  its  direction,  from  the  east  toward 
the  west,  to  seek  an  issue,  which  in  fact  it  finds  at  the  confluence 
of  Salt  river  ;  and  it  may  even  be  said,  that  it  required  the  copious 
and  rapid  waters  of  this  river  and  its  numerous  branches,  to  force 
the  mound  that  opposed  its  way  at  this  place." 

The  steep  declivity  of  these  ridges  requires  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  to  descend  it,  by  the  way  of  the  road,  though  it  is  good  and 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN    THE   VTEST. 


329 


current, 
t,  which 

the  lake 
firsit  level 
jsidiny  of 

IS  to  have 
lof  time, 
>  a  second 
oil,  remo- 
:ak  down 

gth,  when 
re  concen- 
lel,  which 
ons  of  the 

lore  places 
;hat  below 
Ohio,  and 

chains  of 
Volney 

Wabash, 
ills  belovf 

south,  and 
ast  toward 
confluence 
le  copious 
;s,  to  force 


arter  of  an 
good  and 


commodious,  and  by  comparison  with  other  hills  round,  he  conceiv- 
ed the  perpendicular  height  to  be  -i,jut  four  hundred  feet,  or 
'twenty-five  rods."  "The  summit"  of  those  hills,  when  Volney 
examined  them,  "  was  too  thickly  covered  with  wood  for  the  late- 
ral course  of  the  chain  to  be  seen  ;"  but  so  far  as  he  could  ascer- 
tain, "perceived  that  it  runs  very  far  north  and  south,  and  clo- 
ses the  basin  of  the  Ohio,  throughout  its  whole  breadth." 

This  basin,  viewed  from  the  summit  of  this  range,  exhibits  the 
appearance  and  form  of  a  lake  so  strongly,  that  the  idea  of  the  an- 
cient existence  of  one  here,  is  indubitable. 

"  Other  cijcumstances  tend  to  confirn  this  idea,  for  he  observed 
from  this  chain  to  White  River,  eight  miles  from  Fort  Vincent, 
that  the  country  is  interspersed  by  a  number  of  ridges,  many  of 
them  steep,  and  even  lofty ;  they  are  particularly  so  beyond  Blue 
Ridge,  and  on  both  banks  of  White  River,  and  their  direction  is 
every  where  such,  that  they  meet  the  Ohio  transversely." 

"  On  the  olher  hand,  he  found,  at  Louisville,  that  the  south  or 
Kentucky  bank  of  the  river,  corresponding  to  them,  had  similar 
ridges ;  so  that  in  this  part,  there  is  a  succession  of  ridges  capable 
of  opposing  powerful  obstacles  to  the  waters.  It  is  not  till  lower 
down  the  river,  that  the  country  becomes  flat,  and  the  ample  sa- 
vannahs of  the  Wabash  and  Green  River  commence,  which  extend- 
ing to  the  Mississippi,  exclude  every  idea  of  any  other  mound  or 
barrier  to  the  waters  on  that  side  of  the  river." 

There  is  another  fact  in  favor  of  "  these  western  rivers  having 
been,  in  many  places,  lakes,  found  in  this  country ;  and  is  noticed 
as  a  great  singularity.  In  Kentucky*,  all  the  rivers  of  that  country 
flow  more  slowly  near  their  sources  than  at  their  mouths ;  which  is 
directly  the  reverse  of  what  takes  place  in  most  rivers  of  other 
parts  of  the  world ;  whence  it  is  inferred,  that  the  upper  bed  of  the 
rivers  of  Kentucky,  is  a  flat  country,  and  that  their  lower  bed,  at 
the  entrances  of  the  vale  of  the  Ohio,  is  a  descending  slope." 


\!:n. 


43 


\ 


2t^ 


:;.*.. 


AMERICin    AiNTIQUITIES 

Now  this  perfectly  accords  with  the  idea  of  an  ancient  lake  ;  for 
•t  the  time  when  this  lake  extended  to  the  foot  of  the  AUeghanies, 
its  bottom,  particularly  toward  it5  mouth,  must  have  been  nearly 
smooth  and  level,  its  surface  being  broken  by  no  action  of  the  wa- 
ters; but  when  the  mounds  or  hills,  which  confined  this  tranquil 
body  of  water,  were  broken  down,  the  soil  laid  bare,  began  to  be 
furrowed  and  cut  into  sluices,  by  its  drains,  end  when  at  iciiftth, 
the  current  became  concentrated  in  the  vale  of  the  Ohio,  and  de- 
molished its  dyke  more  rapidly,  the  soil  of  this  vale  washed  away 
with  violence,  leaving  a  vast  channel,  the  slopes  of  which  occasion- 
ed the  waters  of  the  plain  to  flow  to  it  more  quickly ;  and  hence 
this  current,  which,  notwithstanding  the  alterations  that  have  been 
going  on  ever  since,  have  continued  more  rapid  to  the  present  day." 
"  Admitting  then,  that  the  Ohio  has  been  barred  up,  either  by 
the  chain  of  Silver  Creek,  or  any  other  contiguous  to  it,  a  lake  of 
great  extent  must  have  been  the  result.      From  Pittsburgh  the 
ground  slopes  so  gently,  that  the  river  when  low,  does  not  run  two 
miles  an  hour;  which  indicates  a  fall  of  four  inches  to  the  mile. 

"  The  whole  distance  from  Pittsburgh  to  the  rapids  of  Louisville, 
following  all  the  windings  of  the  river  does  not  exceed  six  hun- 
dred miles.  From  these  data  we  have  a  difference  of  level  amount- 
ing to  two  hundred  feet,"  which  does  not  exceed  the  elevation 
of  the  ranges  of  hills  supposed  to  have  once  dammed  up  th# 
Ohio  river  at  that  place.  Such  a  mound  could  check  the  waters, 
and  turn  them  back  as  far  as  to  Pittsbuigh. 

Such  having  been  the  fact,  what  an  immense  space  of  the  west- 
em  country  must  have  lain  under  water,  from  the  subsiding  of  the 
flood  till  this  mound  was  broken  down.  This  is  made  apparent  by 
the  spring  freshets  of  the  Ohio,  at  the  present  time,  which  rising 
only  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  keeps  back  the  water  of  the  Great 
Miami,  as  far  as  Greenville,  a  distance  of  seventy  miles  up  the 
country  to  the  north,  where  it  occasions  a  stagnation  of  that  river, 
and  even  an  inundation." 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN    TilE  WCb'T 


S9l 


:c;  for 
hanies, 

nearly 
the  wa- 
tranquil 
Z.U  to  be 
:  ieiiRtli, 

and  de- 
ed away 
)ccasion- 
[\d  hence 
ave  been 
lint  day." 
either  by 
a  lake  of 
jurgh  the 
(t  run  two 
le  mile. 

louisville, 

six  hun- 

amount" 

elevation 

d  up  th# 

le  waters, 

the  west- 
ing of  the 
^parent  by 
lich  rising 

the  Great 
les  up  the 
Ithat  river. 


In  the  vernal  inundutiona,  the  nurtli  branch  of  the  Great  Miami, 
forms  but  one  with  the  south  branch  of  the  Miami ;  the  spaca  be* 
twecn  becomes  one  body  of  water.  "  The  south  branch  runs  into 
Lake  Erie,  and  is  sometimes  called  St.  Mary's  river.  The  carry- 
ing place  or  portage  between  the  heads  of  these  two  rivers,  is  but 
three  miles,  and  in  high  water  tlie  space  can  be  passed  over  in  a 
boat,  from  out;  which  runs  into  the  Ohio,  to  the  other  which  runs 
into  Lake  Erie." 

This,  Mr.  Volney  states  to  have  been  the  fact,  as  witnessed  by 
himself  on  the  spot,  in  the  year  1796  ;  so  near  are  all  these  waters 
on  a  level  with  f;ach  other.  He  says,  that  "  during  the  year  1792, 
a  mercantile  house  at  Fort  Detroit,  which  is  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Erie,  desputched  two  canoes,  which  passed  immediately  without 
carrying  from  the  River  Huron,  running  into  Lake  Erie  to  Grand 
River,  which  ru.  s  into  Lake  Michigan,  by  the  waters  at  the  head 
of  each  of  these  rivers,  overflowing.  The  Muskingum,  which  runs 
into  the  Ohio,  also  communicates,  by  means  of  its  sources  and  of 
small  lakes,  witlj  the  waters  of  the  river  Cayahoga,  which  flows 
into  Lake  Erie." 

From  all  these  facts  united  it  follows,  that  the  surface  of  the  le- 
vel country  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio,  cannot  exceed  the 
level  of  the  flat  next  to  the  water  of  the  Ohio,  more  than  an  hun- 
dred feet,  nor  that  of  the  second  flat  or  level,  which  is  the  general 
surface  of  the  country,  more  than  seventy  feet ;  consequently,  a 
mound  of  two  hundred  feet  at  Silver  Creek,  six  hundred  miles 
down  the  Ohio  from  Pittsburgh,  would  have  been  sufficient  to  keep 
back  its  waters,  not  only  as  far  as  Lake  Erie,  but  even  to  spread 
them  from  the  last  slopes  of  the  Alleghanies,  to  the  north  of  Lake 
Superior." 

"  But  whatever  elevation  we  allow  this  natural  mound,  or  if  we 
suppose  there  were  several  in  different  places,  keeping  back  the  wa- 
ter in  succession,  the  existence  of  sedentary  waters  in  this  western 
country,  and  ancient  lakes  such  as  we  have  pointed  out  between 
Blue  Ridge  and  North  Mountain,  is  not  the  less  an  incontrovertible 


^ 


3S9 


iMERICAN    ANTIQUITlCa 


fact,  as  must  appear  to  every  oue  who  coutemplates  the  country  ; 
and  this  fact  explains,  in  a  simple  and  satisfactory  manner,  a  num> 
bcr  of  local  circumstance9,«which,  on  the  other  hand,  serve  as  proofs 
of  the  fact."      For  instance,  these  ancient  lakes  explain  why,  in 
every  part  of  the  basin  of  the  Ohio,  the  land  is  always  leveled  in 
horizontal  beds  of  different  heights ;  why  these  beds  are  placed  in 
the  order  of  their  specific  gravity  ;  and  why  we  find  in  various  pla- 
ces remains  of  trees,  of  osier,  and  of  other  plants.     They  also,  hap- 
pily and  naturally  account  for  the  formation  of  the  immense  beds 
of  sea  coal  found  in  the  western  country,  in  certain  situations,  and 
particular  districts.    In  fact,  from  the  researches  which  the  inhabit- 
ants have  mode,  it  appears  that  the  principal  seat  of  coal  is  above 
Pittsburgh,  in  the  space  between  the  Laurel  mountain  and  the  rivers 
Alleghany  and  Monongahela,  where  exists  almost  throughout,  a  stra- 
tum, at  the  average  depth  of  twelve  and  sixteen  feet.      This  stra- 
tum is  supported  by  the  horizontal  bed  of  calcareous  stones,  and 
covered  with  strata  of  schists  and  slate  ;  it  rises  and  falls  with  these 
on  the  hills  and  in  the  vallies,  being  thicker  as  it  rises  with  the 
hills,  but  thinner  in  the  vales." 

"  On  considering  its  local  situation,  we  see  it  occupies  the  lower 
basin  of  the  two  rivers  we  have  mentioned,  and  of  their  branches, 
the  Yohogany  and  Kiskemauitaus,  all  of  which  flow  through  a 
nearly  flat  country,  into  the  Ohio  below  Pittsburgh."  • 

"  Now  on  the  hypothesis  of  the  great  lake  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  this  part  will  be  found  to  have  been  originally  the  lower  ex- 
tremity of  the  lake,  and  the  part  where  its  being  kept  back  would 
have  occasioned  still  water.  It  is  admitted  by  naturalists,  that  coal 
is  formed  of  heaps  of  trees  carried  away  by  rivers  and  floods,  and 
afterwards  covered  with  earth." 

These  heaps  are  not  accumulated  in  the  course  of  the  stream,  but 
in  parts  out  of  it,  where  they  are  left  to  their  own  weight ;  which  be- 
eomes  saturated  with  water,  within  a  sufficient  lapse  of  time,  so  as 
to  increase  their  gravity  sufficient  to  sink  to  the  depths  below. 


AND  DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST 


333 


juntry  ; 
a  num- 
IS  proofs 
why,  in 
veled  in 
laced  in 
iou3  pla- 
Iso,  hap- 
nse  beds 
ions,  and 
!  inhabit- 

is  above 
the  rivers 
•ut,  a  stra- 
This  stra- 
snes,  and 
vith  these 

with  the 

the  lower 
branches, 

through  a 

ft 

we  have 
lower  ex- 
ick  would 
that  coal 
oods,  and 

rearm,  but 
■which  be« 
me,  so  as 

■v. 


*'  This  process  may  be  obsi^rved,  even  now,  in  n>any  rivers  of 
America,  particularly  in  the  Mississippi,  which  annually  corries 
along  with  its  current  a  great  number  of  trees.  Some  of  these  trees 
are  deposited  in  the  bays  and  eddii's,  and  there  left  in  still  water  to 
sink  ;  but  tlie  greater  part  reach  the  borders  of  the  ocean,  where 
the  current  being  balanced  by  the  tide,  they  are  rendered  sta- 
tionary, and  buried  under  the  mud  and  sand,  by  the  double  action 
of  the  stream  of  the  river  and  the  reflux  of  the  sea." 

"  In  the  same  manner,  ancient'y,  the  rivers  that  flow  from  the 
Alleghany  and  Laural  mountains  into  the  basin  of  the  Ohio,  finding; 
toward  Pittsburgh,  the  dead  waters  and  tail  of  the  great  lake, 
there  deposited  the  trees  and  drift  wood  which  they  still  carry  away 
by  thousands,  when  the  frost  breaks  up,  and  the  snows  melt  in  the 
spring  :  These  trees  were  accumulated  in  strata  level  as  the  fluid 
that  bore  them  ;  and  tlie  mound  of  the  lake  sinking  gradually,  as  we 
have  before  explained,  its  tail  was  likewise  lowered  by  degrees, 
and  the  place  of  deposit  changed  as  the  lake  receded  ;  forming  that 
vast  bed  which,  in  the  lapse  of  ages,  has  been  subsequently  cover- 
ed v/ith  earth  and  gravel,  and  acquired  the  mineral  qualities  of 
coal,  the  .state  in  which  we  find  it." 

"  Coal  is  found  in  several  other  parts  of  the  United  States,  and 
always  in  circumstances  analagous  to  those  we  have  just  described. 
In  the  year  17S4,  at  the  mouth  of  the  rivulet  Laminskicola,  which 
runs  into  the  Muskingum,  the  stratum  of  coal  there  took  fire,  and 
burnt  for  a  whole  year.  This  mine  is  a  part  of  the  mass  of  which 
we  have  been  speaking ;  and  almost  all  the  great  risers  that  run 
into  the  Ohio,  must  have  deposits  of  this  kind  in  their  flat  and  long 
levels,  and  in  the  places  of  their  eddies. 

"  The  upper  branches  of  the  Potomac,  above  and  to  the  left  of 
Fort  Cumberland,  have  been  celebrated  some  years  for  their  strata 
of  coal  embedded  along  their  shores,  so  that  boats  can  lie  at  their 
banks  and  load. 


w¥] 


334  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

"  Now,  this  part  of  the  country  has  every  appearance  of  having 
been  once  a  lake,  produced  by  one  or  more  of  the  numerous  trans- 
verse ridges  that  bound  the  Potomac  above  and  below  Fort  Cum- 
berland. 

"  In  Virginia,  tlie  bed  of  James  River  rests  on  a  very  considera- 
ble bed  of  coal.  At  two  or  three  places,  where  shafts  have  been 
sunk,  on  its  left  bank,  after  digging  an  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
through  red  day,  a  bed  of  coal,  about  four  and  twenty  feet  thick, 
has  been  found  on  an  inclined  stratum  of  granite.  It  is  evi<^ent 
that  at  the  rapids,  lower  down,  where  the  course  of  the  river  is  still 
checked,  it  was  once  completely  obstructed  ;  and  then  there  must 
have  been  a  standing,  and  very  probably  a  lake  " 

The  reader  will  observe,  that  wherever  there  is  a  rapid, a  stagna- 
tion takes  place  in  the  sheet  of  water  above,  just  as  there  is  at  a 
mill  head  ;  consequently  the  drifted  trees  must  have  accumulated 
there,  and  Avhen  the  outlet  of  the  lake  had  hollowed  out  for  itself  a 
gap,  and  sunk  its  level,  the  annual  floods  brought  down  with  them 
and  deposited  the  red  clay  now  found  there  ;  as  it  is  evident  that 
this  clay  was  brought  from  some  other  place,  for  the  earth  of  such 
ft  quality  belongs  to  the  upper  part  of  the  course  of  the  river,  parti- 
cularly to  the  ridge  called  South  West. 

"  It  is  possible  that  veins  or  mines  of  coal,  not  adapted  to  this 
theory,  may  be  mentioned  or  discovered  on  the  coast  of  the 
Atlantic.  But  one  or  more  such  instances  will  not  be  sufficient  to 
subvert  this  theory  ;  for  the  whole  of  this  coast,  or  all  the  land  be- 
tween the  ocean  and  the  AUeghanies,  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to 
the  West  Indies,  has  bf  n  destroyed  by  earthquakes  ;  the  traces  of 
which  are  every  where  to  be  seen,  and  these  earthquakes  have 
altered  the  arrangement  of  strata  throughout  the  whole  of  this 


n 


space 

Thus  far  we  have  given  the  view  of  this  great  naturalist  respect- 
ing the  existence  of  ancient  lakes  to  the  west,  and  of  the  formation 
of  the  strata  of  sea  coal  in  those  regions.     If  then  it  be  allowed  that 


▲ND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


335 


having 
IS  trans- 
rt  Cum- 

insidera- 
Lve  been 
inty  feet 
et  thick, 
evit'ent 
er  is  still 
,ere  must 

a  stagna- 
re  is  at  a 
umulated 
or  itself  a 
vith  them 

dent  that 
of  such 

er,  parti- 

d  to  this 

St  of  the 

fficient  to 

land  be- 

wrence  to 

traces  of 

ces  have 

e  of  this 

t  respect- 
formation 
wed  that 


timber  being  deposited  deep  in  the  earth,  becomes  the  origin  of  that 
mineral,  we  discover  at  once  the  chief  material  which  feeds  the  in- 
ternal fires  of  the  globe. 

The  earth,  at  the  era  of  tlie  great  deluge,  being  (tovered  with  an 
immensity  of  forests,  more  than  it  now  presents,  furnished  the  ma- 
terial, when  sunk  and  plunged  to  the  unknown  depths  of  the  then 
soft  and  pulpy  globe,  for  exhaustless  strata  of  sea  coal. 

This,  by  some  means,  having  taken  fire,  continues  to  burn,  and 
descending  deeper  and  deeper,  spreading  farther  and  farther,  till 
the  conquerless  element  has  even  under  sunk  the  ocean ;  from 
whence  it  frequently  bursts  forth  in  the  very  middle  of  the  sea,  ac- 
companied with  all  the  grandeur  of  display,  and  phenomena  of  fire 
and  water,  mingled  in  unbounded  wan'are.  This  internal  opera- 
tion of  fire  feeding  on  the  unctions  minerals  of  the  globe,  among 
which,  as  chief,  is  sea  coal,  becomes  the  parent  of  many  a  new  isl- 
and, thrown  up  by  the  violence  of  that  element. 

Various  accidents  are  supposeable  by  which  sea  coal  may  have, 
at  first,  taken  fire,  so  as  to  commence  the  first  volcanoe ;  and  in  its 
operations  to  have  ignited  other  mineral  .substances,  as  sulphur, 
saltpetre,  bitumen,  and  salts  of  various  kinds.  An  instance  of  the 
ignition  of  sea  coal  by  accident,  is  mentioned  in  Dr.  Beck's  Ga- 
zetteer, to  have  taken  place  on  a  tract  of  country,  called  the  Ame- 
rican Bottom,  situated  between  the  Kai.;kaskia  River  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Missouri.  On  this  great  alluvion,  which  embraces  a  body 
of  land  equal  to  five  hundred  square  miles,  sea  coal  abounds,  and 
was  first  discovered  in  a  very  singular  manner.  In  clearing  the 
ground  of  its  timber,  a  tree  took  fire,  which  was  standing,  and  was 
dry,  which  communicated  to  the  roots,  but  continued  to  burn  much 
longer  than  was  sufiicient  to  exhaust  the  tree,  roots  and  all. 

But  upon  examination,  it  was  found  to  have  taken  hold  of  a  bed 
of  coal,  which  continued  to  burn  until  the  fire  was  smothered  by 
the  falling  in  of  a  large  body  of  earth,  which  the  fire  had  under- 
mined by  destroying  the  ^oal,  and  causing  a  cavity.     This  is  a  vol- 


336 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIEfl 


cano  in  miniature,  and  how  long  it  might  have  continued  it  ravages, 
with  increased  violence,  is  unknown,  had  it  not  have  so  opportune- 
ly been  extinguished. 

But  this  class  of  strata  of  that  mineral  lies,  of  necessity,  much 
deeper  in  many  places  than  any  other  of  the  kind,  deposited  since 
the  flood,  by  the  operation  of  rivers  and  lakes.  If,  as  we  have  sup- 
posed in  this  volume,  the  earth,  previous  to  the  flood  of  Noah,  had 
a  greater  land  surface  than  at  the  present  time,  we  find  in  this  sup- 
position, a  sufficiency  ot  wood,  the  deposition  of  which,  being  thrown 
into  immense  heaps  by  the  whirls,  waves  and  eddies  of  the  waters, 
to  make  whole  subterranean  ranges  of  this  coa!  equal  in  size  to  the 
largest  and  longest  mountains  of  the  globe. 

These  ranges,  in  many  places,  rise  even  above  the  ordinary  sur- 
face of  the  land,  ha\ing  been  bared,  since  the  flood,  by  the  violence 
of  convulsions  occasioned  by  both  volcanic  fires  and  the  irruptions 
of  waters. 

If  those  philosophers,  who  aflect  to  despise  the  writings  of  Moses, 
as  found  in  ihe  Book  of  Genesis,  the  cmly  author  the  wide  earth  ever 
afforded,  who  has  given  us  an  account  of  the  delnge,  would  think  of 
this  fact,  the  origin  of  sea  coal,  they  could  not  but  subscribe  to  this 
one  account,  at  least,  which  that  book  has  given  of  the  flood.  The 
insignificant  depositions  of  timber,  occasioned  by  the  drawing  off  of 
lakes,  or  change  of  water  courses,  since  the  flood,  cannot  be  sup- 
posed to  be  in  sufficient  quanities  to  furnish  the  vast  magazines  of 
this  mineral,  compared  with  that  of  the  universal  flood.  These 
strata  of  coal,  appearing  too  in  such  situations  as  to  preclude  all  idea 
of  their  having  been  formed  by  the  operation  of  water  since  the 
flood,  so  that  we  are  driven,  by  indubitable  deduction  of  fair  and 
logical  argument,  to  resort  to  just  such  an  occurence  as  the  deluge, 
the  account  of  which  is  given  by  Moses  in  the  Scripture.  So  that 
if  there  were  never  an  universal  flood,  as  tated  in  the  Bible,  the  in- 
genuity of  sceptical  philosophy  would  be  sadly  perplexed,  as  well 
as  all  others,  to  account  for  the  deposition  of  wood  enough  to  fur- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


337 


uish  all  the  mines  of  this  article  found  over  the  whole  earth,  in  its 
several  locations. 

If  another  flood  were  to  drown  the  world,  its  deposits  of  timber 
could  not  equal,  by  one  half,  the  deposits  of  the  Noachian  deluge, 
on  account  of  the  land  surface  of  the  earth  having,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  that  flood,  been  greatly  diminished.  If  it  be  truly  said  in 
the  Bible,  that  the  earth  perished  by  water,  and  also  that  the  foun- 
tains of  the  great  deep,  (subterranean  seas,)  were  broken  up,  we 
arrive  at  the  conclusion,  that  there  was  more  wood  devoted  to  the 
purpose  of  coal  creation,  because  there  was,  it  is  likely,  double  the 
quantity  of  surface  of  dry  land  for  the  forest  to  grow  upon. 


FURTHER      .:      ',::KS  ON    THE  DRAINING    OF  THE    WESTERN 
OOIJNTRY  OF  ITS  ANCIENT  LAKES. 

In  corroboration  of  the  theory  of  Mr.  Volney,  on  this  subject, 
we  give  the  brief  remarks  of  that  accurate  and  pleasing  writer,  Mr. 
Schoolcraft,  well  known  to  the  reading  class  of  the  public.  He 
says,  while  treating  on  the  subject  of  the  appearance  of  the  two 
prints  of  human  feet,  in  the  limestone  strata,  along  the  shore  of  the 
Mississippi,  at  St.  Louis  :  "  May  we  not  suppose  a  barrier  to  have 
once  existed  across  the  lower  part  of  the  Mississippi,  converting  its 
immense  valley  into  an  interior  sea,  whose  action  was  adequate  to 
the  production  and  deposition  of  calcareous  strata.  We  do  not 
consider  such  a  supposition  incompatible  with  the  existence  of 
transition  rocks  in  this  valley  ;  the  position  of  the  latter  being  be- 
ne«ith  the  secondary.  Are  not  the  great  northern  lakes  the  remains 
of  such  an  ocean  ?  And  did  not  the  sudden  demolition  of  this  an- 
cient barrier  enable  this  powerful  stream  to  carry  its  banks,  as  it 
has  manifestly  done,  a  hundred  miles  into  the  gulf  of  Mexico. 

We  think  such  an  hypothesis  much  more  probable,  than  that  the 

every-day  deposits  of  this  river  should  have  that  effect  on  the  gulf. 

43 


m] 


'!iv'- 


338 


AMEIUCAN   ANTIQUlTlKi. 


We  liave  been  lu-cjuuiiitcd  with  the  mouths  of  the  Mississip],!  ior 
more  than  a  century  ;  aud  yet  Us  several  chaiiuels,  to  all  appear- 
ance, are  essentially  the  same  as  when  iirst  discovered. 

Favouring  the  same  position,  or  theory,  we  give,  from  Dr.  Beck's 
Gazetteer,  a  quotation  from  Silliman's  Journal,  3d  volume,  quoted 
by  that  author  from  Bringier  on  the  Region  of  the  Mississippi  ; 
who  says,  that  "  between  White  River  and  the  Missouri,  are  three 
parallel  poiphyry  ranges,  running  circularly  from  the  west  to  the 
northeast. 

These  thro(;  mountains  are  twenty-eight  miles  across,  and  seem 
to  have  been  above  water,  when  the  whole  country  around  was 
covered  by  an  ocean." 

At  the  foot  of  one  of  these  ranges,  was  found  the  tooth  of  some 
tremendous  monster,  supposed  to  be  the  mammoth,  twice  as  large 
as  any  found  at  the  liig-bone  T.ick.  An  account  of  this  creatuce, 
so  far  as  we  are  able  to  give  it,  has  already  been  done,  commencing 
on  page  143  to  149,  inclusive,  of  this  work  ;  yet  we  feel  it  incum- 
bent to  insert  a  recent  discovery  respecting  this  monster,  which  we 
had  not  seen  when  those  pages  went  to  press.  The  account  is  as 
follows : 

There  were  lately  dug  up  at  Massillon,  Starke  county,  Ohio, 
two  large  Tusks,  measuring  each  nine  feet  six  inches  in  length, 
and  eight  inches  diameter,  being  two  feet  in  girth  at  the  largest 
ends.  The  weight  of  one  is  as  much  as  two  men  could  lift.  The 
outside  covering  is  as  firm  and  hard  as  ivory,  but  the  inner  parts 
■  were  .  onsiderably  decayed.  They  were  found  in  a  swamp,  about 
two  feet  below  the  surface,  and  were  similar  to  those  found  some 
time  ago  at  Bone  Lick,  in  Kentucky,  the  size  of  which  animal, 
judging  from  the  bones  found,  was  not  less  than  sixty  feet  in  length, 
and  twenty-two  in  height,  and  twelve  across  the  hips.  Each  tooth 
of  the  creature's  mouth  w  hich  was  found,  weighed  eleven  pounds. 
—  Clearfield  Banner,  1832.    . 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   TIIF,    UT-ST. 


339 


This  is,  iiiflccd,  realiziiifi;  the  entire  eahnilatioii  made  by  Adam 
r'lark,  tlie  Commentator,  wlio  tells,  as  bc^fore  remarked,  thai  having 
examined  one  toe  of  the  creature,  supposed  to  be  the  mammoth,  he 
found  it  of  sufficient  size  and  lenirlli,  to  give,  according  to  the  rule 
of  animal  proportion,  an  animal  at  least  sixty  feet  in  length,  and 
twenty-five  feet  high. 

It  vv'ould  seem,  tliat  in  nature,  whether  of  animate  or  inanimate 
things,  each  has  its  giant.  Of  the  materials  composing  the  globe, 
•the  waters  are  the  giant  ;  among  the  continents,  Asia  ;  among  fish- 
es, the  whale ;  among  serpents,  the  great  Li  Boa,  of  Africa,  among 
quadrupeds,  the  mammoth  ;  among  birds,  the  condor ;  among  men, 
the  Patagonians  ;  among  trees,  the  banyan  of  the  east  ;^  among 
herbs,  the  mustard  of  Palestine.  But  among  quadrupeds,  the  giant 
of  that  section  of  nature,  it  would  appear,  has  become  extinct,  by 
what  means,  is  unknown  ;  whetlier  a  change  in  the  climate,  a  want 
of  food,  whether  by  disease,  or  the  arts  of  the  ancient  nations ;  all 
is  locked  in  the  fathomless  depths  of  oblivion.  , 

The  animal,  however,  must  have  come  down,  in  its  species,  from 
the  verv  outset  of  time,  with  all  other  animals.  A  male  and  female 
of  this  enormous  beast,  must  liave  been  saved  in  the  ark  ;  but  it  is 
likely  the  Divine  Providence  directed  a  pair  that  were  young,  and 
therefore  not  as  large,  and  as  ferocious,  as  such  as  were  full  grown, 
would  be.  The  finding  this  animal  in  America,  is,  it  would  appear, 
incontrovertible  evidence,  that  the  continent  was,  at  some  period, 
united  with  the  old  world  at  some  place  or  places,  as  has  been  con- 
tended in  this  work  ;  as  so  large  an  animal  could  neither  have  been 
brought  hither  by  men,  in  any  sort  of  craft  hitherto  known,  except 
the  ark  ;  nor  could  they  have  swum  so  far,  even  if  they  were  ad- 
dicted to  the  water. 

But  to  return  to  the  subject  of  western  lakes.  How  great  a  lapse 

of  time  took  place,  from  the  subsiding  of  the  flood  of  Noah,  till 

the  bursting  away  of  the  several  bairiers  is  unknown.     The  emp- 

,  tying  out  of  such  vast  bodies  of  water,  as  held  an  almost  boundless 


m^ 


11 


340 


IMRRICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


region  of  the  west  in  a  state  of  complete  submergency,  must  of  ne- 
cessity have  raised  the  Atlantic,  so  as  to  envelope  in  its  increase, 
many  a  fair  and  level  country  along  its  coasts,  both  on  this  conti- 
nent, and  those  of  Europe  and  Africa. 

In  such  an  emergency,  all  islands,  which  were  low  on  the  sur- 
face and  not  much  elevated  above  the  sea,  must  have  been  drown- 
ed, or  parts  of  them,  so  that  their  hills,  if  any  they  had,  would  only 
be  left  ;  a  sad  and  small  iiiemorial  of  their  ancient  domains. 

It  may  have  been,  that  the  rush  of  these  mighty  waters  from  the 
west,  flowing  to  the  sea  at  once,  down  the  channels  of  so  many  ri- 
vers, which  at  first  broke  up  and  enveloped  the  land  between  the 
range  of  the  West  India  Islands  and  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico. It  is  conjectured  by  naturalists,  that  the  time  was  when  those 
islands  were  in  reality  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  continent.  Some 
convulson,  therefore,  must  have  transpired,  to  bring  about  so  great 
a  change. 

If,  as  Schoolcraft  has  suggested,  the  Mississippi,  in  bursting  down 
its  barriers  drove  the  earthy  matter  which  accompanied  it  in  that 
occurrence,  an  hundred  miles  into  the  sea,  it  may  well  be  supposed 
that  if  all  that  space,  now  the  gulf,  was  then  a  low  tract  of  country, 
which  is  natural  to  suppose,  as  its  shores  are  so  now,  that  it  was 
overwhelmed,  while  the  higher  parts  of  the  coast,  now  the  West 
India  Islands,  are  all  that  remains  of  that  drowned  country. 

It  is  not  impossible,  but  at  that  time  the  island  Atalantis,  which 
we  have  treated  of  before,  the  account  of  which  is  given  by  Solon, 
derived  from  the  Egyptian  priest,  was  likewise  enveloped  in  the 
sea,  especially  if  it  were  a  low  country,  as  most  sea  islands  are. 
The  reader  will  recollect  that  respecting  the  destruction  of  that  isl- 
and, we  made  it  appear,  from  the  circumstance  of  the  Athenians 
driving  back  the  Atalantians,  or  Atlantides,  to  their  possessions,  that 
it  was  enveloped  in  the  sea,  about  fourteen  hundred  years  before 
Christ. 


AND   DISCOVKRIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


341 


If  so,  it  may  then  be,  that  those  western  lakes  were  drained,  or 
commenced  to  be  drained,  at  that  very  time,  which  would  be  about 
a  thousand  years  after  the  deluge  of  Noah ;  so  that  since  this  tre- 
mendous change  of  the  face  of  the  western  country,  is  a  lapse  of 
more  than  three  thousand  years. 

From  an  examination  of  the  lak«^'  '^■eneca,  Cayuga,  and  Erie,  it 
is  evident  from  their  banks  .at  anc  'y  the  water  {stood  i^.  ''',.u 
ten  and  twelve  feet  higher  than  at  present,  these  also,  therefore, 
have  been  drained  a  second  time,  since  those  of  which  we  have 
been  speaking,  of  which  these  were  once  a  part. 

All  the  western  lakes,  Superior,  Michigan,  Huron,  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  Erie,  Seneca,  Cayuga,  and  many  lesser  ones,  are  the  mere 
remnants  of  the  great  inland  sea,  which  once  existed  in  this  region, 
and  the  time  may  come,  when  all  these  lakes  will  be  again  drained 
off,  to  the  north  by  the  way  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  to  the  south 
by  other  rivers  to  the  sea,  adding  a  country  of  land,  freed  in  a  mea- 
sure from  these  waters,  as  great  in  extent  as  all  the  lakes  put  together. 

It  is  believed  by  the  most  observing  naturalists,  that  the  falls  of 
Niagara  were  once  as  low  down  the  river  as  where  Queenstown 
is  situated,  which  is  six  or  eight  miles  below  the  fall.  If  so,  the 
time  may  come,  and  none  can  tell  how  soon,  when  the  falls  shall 
have  worn  through  the  stone  ridge  or  precipice,  over  which  the  Ni- 
agara is  precipitated,  and  coming  to  a  softer  barrier,  of  mere  earth, 
the  power  of  the  waters  would  not  be  long  in  rending  for  itself  a 
more  level  channel,  extending  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Erie,  on  an  in- 
clined plane  of  considerable  steepness. 

This  would  eifect  Lake  Erie,  causing  an  increased  current  in  its 
waters,  and  the  lowering  of  its  bed,  which  would  also  have  the 
same  effect  on  Lake  Michigan,  Huron,  and  Superior,  with  all  the 
rest  of  a  lesser  magnitude,  changing  them  from  the  character  they 
now  bear,  which  is  that  of  lakes  to  that  of  mere  rivers,  like  the 
Ohio.     In  the  mean  time,  Ontario  would  become  enlarged,  so  a.s  to 


342 


AMERICAN   ANTfQUITIES 


rise  perhaps  to  a  level  witli  tlie  top  of  the  falls,  which  is  an  lum- 
dred  and  fifty-three  feet. 

Lake  Ontario  is  but  about  an  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the 
city  of  Utica,  and  Utica  is  four  hundred  feet,  above  the  valley  of 
the  Hudson  river ;  consequently,  deducting  the  hundred  and  fifty 
feet,  which  is  the  fall  of  land,  from  the  long  level,  as  it  is  called, 
on  which  Utica  stands,  to  the  lake,  there  will  be  left  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  elevation  of  Ontario  above  the  Vale  of  the  Hudson. 

That  lake,  therefore,  need  to  be  raised  but  a  little  more  than  an 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  when  it  would  immediately  inimdate  a  great- 
er part  of  the  state  of  New- York,  as  well  as  a  part  of  Upper  and 
all  Lower  Canada,  till  the  waters  should  be  carried  off'  by  the  way 
of  the  several  rivers  now  existing  on  the  easterly  and  southerly  side 
of  the  lake,  and  by  new  channels  such  a  catastrophe  would  most 
certainly  cut  for  itself,  in  many  directions,  in  its  descent  to  the  At- 
lantic. 

But  we  trust  such  an  occurrence  may  never  take  place  ;  yet  it  is 
equally  possible  as  wiis  the  draining  of  the  more  ancient  lakes  of 
the  west.  And  however  secure  the  ancient  inhabitants  may  have 
felt  themselves,  who  had  settled  below  the  barriers,  yet  that  inland 
sea,  suddenly  took  up  its  line  of  march,  to  wage  war  with,  or  to 
become  united  to,  its  counte.part,  the  Atlantic,  and  in  its  travel, 
bore  away  the  country,  and  the  nations  dwelling  thereon. 


HEALTH    OF   THE    ANCIENT   NATIONS    AFFECTED   BY    THF. 
DRAINING  OF  THOSE  LAKES. 


The  noxious  effluvia  which  would  inevitably  arise  from  the  bot- 
toms of  those  vast  bodies  of  water,  must  have  had  a  pestilential  ef- 
fect on  the  people  settled  around  them.  This  position  needs  no 
elucidation,  as  it  is  known  that  the  het-t  of  the  sun,  in  its  action  on 
swamps  and  marshy  grounds,  fills  the  region  round  them  with  a 


AM)    DISCOVKRIES   IN    THE  WEST. 


843 


duatlily  scent,  acting  directly  on  tlio  economy  and  constitution  of 
the  human  subje(;t,  wliile  animals  of  coarser  liabits  escape. 

Who  has  not  experienced  this  on  the  sudden  draining  of  stag- 
nant waters,  or  even  those  of  a  mill  pond.  The  reason  is,  the  fdth 
settled  at  the  bottoms  of  such  places,  becomes  exposed  by  having 
the  cover  taken  away,  which  was  the  waters,  and  the  winds  imme- 
diately wafting  the  deleterious  vapours ;  the  surrounding  atmos- 
phere becomes  corrupted  ;  disease  follows  with  death  in  its  train. 
But  on  the  sudden  draining  of  so  great  a  body  of  water,  from  such 
immense  tracts  of  land,  which  had  been  accumulating  filth,  formed 
of  decayed  vegetation  and  animals,  from  the  time  of  the  deluge  till 
their  passing  off  at  that  time,  the  stench  must  have  been  beyond  all 
conception,  dreadful. 

It  is  not,  therefore,  impossible  nor  impiobable,  but  by  this  very 
means,  the  ancient  natiojis  settled  rouiul  these  waters,  may  have, 
indeed,  been  exterminated  ;  or  if  they  were  not  exterminated,  must 
have  been  exceedingly  reduced  in  numbers,  so  as  to  induce  the  re- 
sidue to  flee  from  so  dangerous  a  country,  far  to  the  south,  or  any 
where,  from  the  effects  of  the  dreadful  ellluvia,  arising  from  the 
newly  exposed  chasms  and  gulfs. 

Such,  also,  would  be  the  effect  on  the  present  inhabitants,  should 
the  fall  of  Niagara  at  length  undermine  and  wear  down  tliat  strata 
of  rock  over  which  it  now  plunges,  and  drain  the  lakes  of  the  west, 
the  remnant  of  the  greater  bodies  of  Avater  which  once  rested  there. 
In  the  event  of  such  a  catastrophe,  it  would  be  natural,  that  the 
waters  should  immediately  flow  into  the  head  water  channels  of  all 
the  rivers  north-east  and  south  from  lake  Ontario,  after  coming  on 
a  level  with  the  heads  of  the  short  streams  passing  into  that  lake 
on  its  easterly  side. 

The  rivers  running  south-east  and  north  from  that  part  of  Lake 
Ontario  as  high  up  as  the  village  of  Lyons,  are  a  part  of  the  Che- 
mung, the  Chenango,  the  Uuadilla,  the  Susquehannah,  the  Dela- 


wm 


i 


U4 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


ware,  the  Mohawk,  the  Au  Sable,  and  the  St.  liftwrence,  with  all 
their  smaller  head  water  streams. 

The  vallies  of  these  streams  would  become  the  drains  of  such  a 
discharge  of  the  western  lakes,  overwhelming  and  sweeping  away 
all  the  works  of  men  in  those  directions,  as  well  as  in  many  other 
directions,  where  the  lowness  of  the  country  should  be  favourable 
to  a  rush  of  the  waters,  leaving  isolated  tracts  of  high  lands,  with 
the  mountains  as  islands,  till  the  work  of  submersion  should  be  over. 

All  this,  it  is  likely,  will  appciir  extremely  visionary,  but  it  should 
not  be  forgotton,  that  we  have  predicated  it  on  the  supposed  demo- 
lition of  Niagara  falls,  which  is  as  likely  to  ensue,  as  that  the  bar- 
riers of  the  ancient  lakes  should  have  given  away,  where  the  re- 
spective falls  of  the  rivers  which  issued  from  them,  poured  over 
their  precipices. 

"  Whoever  will  examine  all  the  circumstances,"  says  Volney, 
"  will  clearly  perceive,  that  at  the  place  where  the  village  of 
Queenstown  row  stands,  the  fall  at  first  commenced,  and  that  the 
river,  by  sawing  down  the  bed  of  the  rock,  has  hollowed  out  the 
chasm,  and  continued  carrying  back  its  breach,  from  age  to  age,  till 
it  has  at  length  reached  the  spot  where  the  cascade  now  is.  There 
it  continues  its  secular  labours  with  slow  but  incessant  activity. 
The  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  country  remember  having  seen  the 
cataract  several  paces  beyond  its  present  plac'^"  The  frosts  of 
winter  have  the  effect  continually  of  cracking  the  projecting  parts 
of  the  strata,  and  the  thaws  of  spring,  with  the  increased  powers 
of  the  augmented  waters,  loosen,  and  tumble  large  blocks  of  the 
rock  into  the  chasm  below. 

Dr.  Barton,  who  examined  the  thickness  of  the  stratum  of  stone, 
and  estimates  it  at  sixteen  feet,  believes  it  rests  on  that  of  blue 
schist,  which  he  supposes  forms  the  bed  of  the  river,  as  well  as  the 
falls,  up  to  Erie.  "  Some  ages  hence,  if  the  river,  continuing  its 
untiring  operations,  may  cease  to  find  the  calcareous  rock  that  now 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    UEST- 


345 


checks  it,  and  findinc;  a  softer  strata,  the  fall  will  ultimatoly  arrive 
at  Lake  Erie ;  and  then  one  of  those  great  desications  will  take 
place,  of  which  the  valleys  of  the  Potomaf,  tliidson,  and  Ohio,  af- 
ford instances  in  times  past." 


LAKE  ONTARIO  FOUMKI)  BY  A  VOLCANO. 

Though  the  northern  parts  of  America  have  been  known  to  us 
but  about  two  centuries,  yet  this  interval,  short  as  it  is  in  the  an- 
nals of  nature,  has  already,  says  Volney,  been  suflficieut  to  convince 
us,  by  numerous  examples,  that  earthquakes  must  have  been  fre- 
quent and  violent  here,  in  times  past.  And  that  they  have  been 
the  principal  cause  of  the  derangements  of  which  the  Atk.ntic  coast 
presents  such  general  and  striking  marks. 

To  go  back  no  farther  than  the  year  1G2S.  the  time  of  the  arri- 
val of  the  first  English  settlers,  and  end  with  1782,  a  lapse  of  154 
years,  in  which  time  there  occurred  no  less  than  forty-five  earth- 
quakes. These  were  always  preceded  by  a  noise  resembling  that 
of  a  violent  wind,  or  of  a  chimney  on  fire  ;  they  often  threw  down 
chimnies,  sometimes  even  houses,  and  burst  open  doors  and  win- 
dows ;  suddenly  dried  up  wells,  and  even  several  brooks  and  streams 
of  water ;  imparting  to  the  waters  a  turbid  colour,  and  the  foetid 
smell  of  liver  of  sulphur,  throwing  up  out  of  great  chinks,  sand 
with  a  similar  smell.  The  shocks  of  these  earthquakes  seemed  to 
proceed  from  an  internal  focus,  which  raised  the  earth  up  from  be- 
low, the  principal  line  of  which  run  north-east  and  south-west,  fol- 
lowing the  course  of  the  river  Merrimack,  extending  southward  to 
the  Potomac,  and  northward  beyond  the  St.  Lawrence,  particularly 
affecting  the  direction  of  Lake  Ontario. 

Respecting  these  earthquakes,  Volney  says,  he  was  indebted  to 

a  work  written  by  a  Mr.  Williams,  from  whose  curious  researches 

he  had  derived  the  most  authentic  records.     But  the  language  and 

44 


-f 


m 


I..JB'.i 


ISI 


344 


AMERICAN    AI^TIQUITIEI 


phrases  he  employs  aic  remarkable,  says  Mr.  Volney,  for  the  analo- 
gy they  bear  to  local  facts,  noticed  by  himself  respecting  the  ap- 
pearance of  schists  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie;  and  about  the  fall 
of  Niagara  ;  and  by  Dr.  Barton,  who  supposed  it  to  form  the  bed 
on  which  the  rock  of  the  falls  rests. 

He  n'.akes  this  author,  Mr.  Williams,  to  say,  or  quotes  him  as 
follows:  "Did  not  that  smell  of  liver  sulphur,  imparted  to  the  wa- 
ter and  sand  vomited  up  from  the  bowels  of  tlie  earth  through  great 
chinks,  originate  from  the  stratum  of  schist  which  we  found  at  Ni- 
agara, beneath  the  limestone,  and  which  when  submitted  to  the  ac- 
tion of  fire.,  ',mits  a  strong  smell  of  sulphur .'" 

It  is  true,  says  Volney,  that  this  is  but  one  of  the  elements  of  the 
substance  mentioned,  composing  schist,  but  an  accurate  analysis 
might  detect  the  other.  This  stratum  of  ^chist  is  found  under  the 
bed  of  the  Hudson,  and  appears  in  many  places  in  the  States  of 
New-York  and  Pennsylvania,  among  the  sand  stones  and  granites ; 
and  we  have  reason  to  presume  that  it  exists  round  Lake  Outaiio 
and  beneath  Lake  Erie,  and  consequently,  that  it  forms  one  of  the 
floors  of  the  country,  in  which  was  the  piincipal  focus  of  the  earth- 
quakes mentioned  by  Mr.  Williams. 

The  tine  of  this  focus  running  north-west  and  south-east,  particu- 
larly affected  the  direction  of  the  Atlantic  to  Lake  Ontario.  This 
predilection  is  remarkable,  on  account  of  the  singular  structure  of 
this  lake.  The  rest  of  the  western  lakes,  notwithstanding  their 
magnitude,  have  no  great  depth.  Lake  Erie  no  where  exceeds  a 
hundred  or  a  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  and  the  bottom  of  Lake  Su- 
perior is  visible  in  many  places. 

The  Ontario  on  the  contrary,  is  in  general,  very  deep  ;  that  is  to 
say,  upwards  of  forty-five  or  fifty  fathoms,  three  hundred  feet,  and 
so  on ;  and  in  a  considerable  extent,  no  k>ttom  could  be  found  with 
a  line  of  a  hundred  and  ten  fathoms,  which  is  a  fraction  less 
than  forty  rods  depth- 


kKD   DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST 


141 


This  is  the  case  in  some  places  near  its  shores,  utid  these  circum- 
stances pretty  clearly  indicate  that  the  hasin  of  this  lake  was  one* 
the  crater  of  a  volcano  now  extinct.  This  inference  is  conOruied 
by  the  volcanic  productions  already  found  on  its  borders,  and  no 
doubt,  the  expi;rienced  eye  will  discover  many  more,  by  examining 
the  form  of  the  great  talus  or  slope,  that  surrounds  this  lake  almost 
circularly,  and  annoimces  in  all  parts,  to  the  eye  as  well  as  to  the 
understanding,  that  formerely  the  fiat  of  Niagara  extended  almost 
a*  far  as  the  middle  of  Like  Ontario,  where  it  was  sunk  and  swal- 
lowed up  by  the  action  of  a  volcano,  then  in  its  vigour. 

The  existence  of  this  subterranean  fire,  accords  perfectly  with 
the  earthquakes  mentioned  by  Williams,  as  above,  and  these  two 
agents  which  we  find  here  united,  while  they  confirm,  on  the  one 
hand,  that  of  a  grand  subterranean  focus,  at  an  unknown  depth,  on 
the  other,  aflford  a  happy  and  plausible  explanation  of  the  confusion 
of  all  the  strata  of  the  earth  and  stones,  which  occurs  throughout 
the  Atlantic  coast.  It  explains  too,  why  the  calcareous  and  even 
granite  strata  there,  are  inclined  to  the  horizon  in  angles  of  forty- 
five  degrees  and  upward,  even  as  far  as  eighty,  almost  perpendicu- 
lar, or  endwise,  their  fragments  remaining  in  the  vacuities  formed 
by  the  vast  explosions.  To  this  fracture  of  the  stratum  of  granite 
are  owing  its  little  cascades  ;  and  this  fact  indicates,  that  formerly 
the  focus  extended  south  beyond  the  Potomac,  as  also  do"^-  ti.1%  stra- 
tum. No  doubt  it  communicated  with  that  of  the  West  India 
islands. 

It  is  not  impossible,  but  the  shocks  of  this  volcito,  at  first,  shook 
the  Alleghanies,  crossing  the  great  rivers  of  this  country,  far  to  the 
west,  so  as  to  be  the  first  moving  cause  to  their  final  demolition,  by 
the  operation  of  the  lakes  above. 

As  favouring  this  supposition  by  Monsieur  Volney,  we  recollect 
the  dreadful  earthquake  of  ISll  and  1812,  on  the  Mississippi,  in 
the  very  neighbourhood  of  the  country  supposed  to  have  been  the 
scene  of  the  effects  of  those  early  shocks,  of  probably  the  same  in- 


m^ 


348 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


ternal  cause,  working  now  beneath  the  continent,  and  sooner  or 
later  may  make  the  northern  jjarts  of  it,  its  place  of  vengeance,  in- 
stead of  the  more  southerly,  as  among  the  Alleghanies,  Andes,  and 
the  Cordilleras,  of  South  America. 

The  earthquakes  of  1811    and   1812  took  place  at  New  Ma- 
drid on  the  Mississippi,  where  its  eflects  were  dreadful,  having 
thrown  up  vast  heaps  of  earth,  destroying  the  whole  plain  upon 
which  that  town  was  laid  out.      Houses,  gardens,  and  fields  were 
swallowed  up ;  many  of  the  inhabitants  were*  forced  to  flee,  expo- 
sed to  the  horrours  of  the  scenes  passing  around,  and  to  the  incle- 
mencies of  the  storms,  without  shelter  or  protection.      The  earth 
rolled  under  their  feet  lil;e  the  waves  of  the  sea.      The  shocks  of 
this  subterranean  convulsion  were  felt  two  hundred  miles  around. 
And  lurther,  in  evidence  of  the  action  of  volcanic  fires  in  the 
west  of  this  country,  we  have  the  following,  as  well  as  the  forego- 
ing from  Dr.  Beck'sGazetteer  of  Illinois ;  "  I  visited  Fort  Clark  in 
1820,  and  obtained  a  specimen  of  native  copper  in  its  vicinity.     It 
weighed  about  two  pounds,  and  is  similar  to  that  found  on  Lake 
Superiour,  of  which  the  following  description  was  given  at  the  mint 
of  Utrecht  in  the  Netherlands,  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Eustis.   From 
every  appearance,  that  piece  of  copper  seems  to  have  been  taken 
from  a  mass  that  had  undergone  fusion.     The  melting  was,  howev- 
er, not  an  operation  of  art,  but  a  natural  effect,  caused  by  a  volca- 
nic eruption. 

The  stream  of  lava  probably  carried,  in  its  course,  the  aforesaid 
body  of  copper,  that  had  formed  into  one  collection  as  fast  as  it  was 
heated  enough  lo  run  from  all  parts  of  the  mine.  The  united  mass 
was,  probably,  borne  in  this  manner  to  the  place  where  it  now  rests 
in  the  soil.  Thus  we  see  that  even  Aroerica,  in  its  northern  parts, 
as  well  as  many  parts  of  the  old  world,  as  it  is  called,  has  felt  the 
shock  of  that  engine,  which  is,  comparatively  speaking,  boundless 
in  power,  capable  of  new  modling  the  face  of  whole  tracts  of  coun- 
try, in  a  few  days,  if  not  hours. 


'■    '•''Ai'f'- 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST.  349 

4 

Considering,  therefore,  the  oranipotency  of  the  two  agents,  fire 
and  water,  so  created  by  Him  who  is  more  omnipotent,  what  chang- 
es of  surface,  and  of  inhabitants  may  not  have  taken  place  in  the 
western  regions,  as  well  as  in  the  other  parts  of  America. 

We  cannot  close  this  subject  better  than  by  introducing  an  Ara- 
bian ible,  styled  the  Revolutions  of  Time.  The  narrator  is  sup- 
posed to  have  lived  three  thousand  years  on  the  earth,  and  to  have 
travelled  much  in  the  course  of  his  life,  and  to  have  noted  down 
the  various  changes  which  took  place  with  respect  to  the  surface 
of  the  globe  in  many  places,  and  to  have  been  conversant  with 
the  various  generations  of  men  that  succeeded  each  other. 

This  fable  we  consider  illustrative  of  the  Antiquities  of  all  coun- 
tiies,  as  well  as  of  the  changes  which  have  most  certainly  taken 
place  in  our  own,  as  it  relates  to  surface  and  inhabitants.  The 
name  of  the  traveller  was  Khidr,  and  his  story  is  as  fellows  : 

I  was  passing,  says  Khidr,  a  populous  city,  and  I  a5'-l<ed  one  of 
the  inbabitants,  "  How  long  has  this  city  been  built  .'"  But  he  said, 
"  This  city  is  an  ancient  city  ;  wc  know  not  at  what  time  it  was 
built  ;  neither  we  nor  our  fathers." 

Then  I  pased  by  after  five  hundred  years,  and  not  a  trace  of  the 
city  was  to  be  seen  ;  but  I  found  a  man  gatherings  herbs,  and  I  ask- 
ed him,  "  How  long  has  this  city  been  destroyed  .'"  But  he  said, 
"  The  country  has  always  been  thus."  And  I  said,  "  But  there 
was  a  city  here.*"  Then  he  said,  "  We  have  seen  no  city  here, 
nor  have  we  heard  of  such  from  our  fathers." 

After  five  hundred  years,  I  again  passed  that  way,  and  found  a 
lake,  and  met  there  a  company  of  fishermen,  and  asked  them, 
"  When  did  this  land  become  a  lake  .'"  and  they  said,  "  How  can 
a  man  like  you  ask  such  a  question  ;  the  place  was  never  other 
than  it  is."  "  But  heretofore,  said  I,  it  was  dry  land."  And  they 
said,  "  We  never  saw  it  so,  nor  heard  of  it  from  our  fathers." 
Then  after  five  hundred  years,  I  returned,  and  behold,  the  lake 
was  dried  up,  and  I  met  a  solitary  man,  and  said  to  him,  "  When 


I'll;    « 


imaaiMi 


350  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

did  this  spot  become  dry  land  ?"  And  he  said,  "  It  was  always 
thus."  "  But  formerly,  I  said,  it  was  a  lake  "  And  he  said,  "  We 
never  saw  it,  nor  heard  of  it  before." 

And  five  hundred  years  afterwards,  I  again  passed  by,  and  again 
found  a  populous  and  beautiful  city,  and  finer  than  I  had  at  first 
seen  it  ;  and  I  asked  one  of  the  inhabitants,  "  When  was  this  city 
built  ?"  And  he  said,  "  Truly,  it  is  an  ancient  place,  and  we  know 
not  ttie  date  of  its  building,  neither  we  nor  our  fathers." 


RESEMBLANCE    OF    THE   WESTERN   INDIANS   TO   THE    AN- 
CIENT GREEKS,  IN  SEVERAL  RESPECTS. 

The  reader  may  recollect  we  have  shown  on  page  44,  that  the 
Greek  fleet  once  moored  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  in  South  America, 
said  to  be  the  fleet  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and  also  the  supposed 
Greek  carving,  or  sculpture,  in  the  cave  on  the  Ohio  river.  See 
page  142. 

In  addition,  we  give,  from  Mr.  Volney's  View  of  America, 
his  comparison  of  the  ancient  Greek  tribes  with  the  tribes  of 
the  western  Indians.  He  says,  the  limits  of  his  work  would  not 
allow  him  to  enter  into  all  the  minutiae  of  this  interesting  subject, 
and,  therefore,  should  content  himself  with  saying,  that  the  more 
deeply  we  examine  the  history  and  way  of  savage  life,  the  more 
ideas  we  acquire  that  illu.strate  the  nature  of  man  in  general,  the 
gradual  formation  ol  societies,  and  the  character  and  manners  of  the 
nations  of  antiquity. 

While  this  author  was  among  the  Indians  of  the  west,  he  was 
particularly  struck  with  the  analogy  between  the  savages  of  North 
America  and  the  so  much  vaunted  ancient  nations  of  Greece  and 
Italy.  In  the  Greeks  of  Homer,  particularly  in  those  of  his  Iliad, 
he  found  the  customs  and  manners  of  the  Iroquois,  Delawares,  and 
Miamis,  strikingly  exemplified.  The  tragedies  of  Sophocles  and 
Euripides,  paint  almost  literally  the  sentiments  of  the  red  men  re- 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST. 


351 


specting  necessity,  fatality,  the  miseries  of  human  life,  and  the  rigor 
of  blind  destiny.      But  the    piece    most  remarable    for  variety, 

combination  of  features  and  resemblance,  is  the  beginning  of  t'lie  his- 
tory of  Thucydides,  in  which  he  briefly  traces  the  habits  and  way 

of  life  of  the  Greeks,  before  and  after  the  Trdj.in  war,  up  to  the 
age  in  which  he  wrote.  This  fragment  of  their  history  appears  so 
well  adapted,  that  we  are  persuaded  the  reader  will  be  pleased  at 
having  it  laid  before  him,  so  that  he  can  make  the  comparison  for 
himself. 

It  is  certain  that  the  region  now  known  by  the  name  of  Greece, 
was  not  formerly  possessed  by  any  fixed  inhabitants,  but  was  sub- 
ject to  frequent  migrations,  as  constantly  every  distinct  people  or 
tribe  yielded  up  their  seats  to  the  violence  of  a  larger  supervening 
number.  For,  as  to  cotrmerce,  there  was  none,  and  mutual  fear 
prevented  intercourse  both  by  land  and  sea  ;  as  then  the  only  view 
of  culture  was  barely  to  procure  a  penurious  subsistence,  as  super- 
fluous wealth  was  a  thing  unknown. 

Planting  was  not  their  employment,  it  being  uncertain  how  soon 
an  invader  might  come  and  dislodge  them  from  their  unfortified  ha- 
bitations ;  and  as  they  thought  they  might  every  where  find  their 
daily  support,  they  hesitated  but  little  about  shifting  their  habita- 
tions.     And  for  this  reason  they  never  flourished  in  the  greatness 
of  their  cities,  or  any  other  circumstance  of  power.     But  the  rich- 
esls  tracts  of  country  were  ever  more  particularly  liable  to  this  fre- 
quent change  of  inhabitants,  such  as  that  now  called  Thessaly  and 
Bceotia,  and  Peloponnesus  chiefly,  except  Arcadia,  and  in  general 
the  most  fertile  parts  of  G.eece.     For  the  natural  wealth  of  their 
soil,  in  particular  districts,  increased  the  power  of  some  amongst 
them  ;  that  power  raised  civil  dissentions,  which  ended  in  their 
ruin,  and  at  the  same  time  exposed  them  the  more  to  foreign  at- 
tacks. 

It  was  only  the  barrenness  of   the  soil,  that  preserved   Attica 
throtigb  the  longest  space  of  time,  qtiiet  and  undisturbed,  in  one 


352 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


uninterrupted  series  of  possessors.  One,  and  not  the  least,  convinc- 
ing proof  of  this  is,  that  other  parts  of  Greece,  because  of  the  fluc- 
tuating condition  of  the  inhabitants,  could,  by  no  means,  in  their 
growth  keep  pace  with  Atlica.  The  most  powerful  of  those  who 
were  driven  from  the  other  parts  of  Greece  by  war  or  sedition,  be- 
took themselves  to  the  Athenians  for  secure  refuge,  and  as  they  ob- 
tained the  privilege  of  citizens,  have  constantly,  from  remote  time, 
continued  to  enlarge  that  city  with  fresh  accessions  of  inhabitants  ; 
insomuch,  that,  at  last,  Attica,  being  insufficient  to  support  its  num- 
bers, they  sent  over  colonies  to  Ionia. 

The  custom  of  wearing  weapons,  onoe  prevailed  all  over  Greece, 
as  their  houses  had  no  manner  of  defence,  as  travelling  was  full  of 
hezzard,  and  their  whole  lives  were  passed  in  armour,  like  barba- 
rians. A  proof  of  this,  is  the  continuance  still,  in  some  parts  of 
Greece,  of  those  manners  which  were  once,  with  uniformity,  com- 
mon to  all.  The  Athenians  were  the  first  who  discontinued  the 
custom  of  wearing  their  swords,  and  who  passed  from  the  savage 
life  into  more  polite  and  elegant  manners.  Sparta  is  not  closely 
built ;  the  temples  and  public  edifices  by  no  means  sumptuous,  and 
the  houses  detatched  from  each  other,  after  the  old  mode  of  Greece. 

In  their  war  manners  they  resembled  the  Indlms  of  America,  for 
after  an  engagement  they  had  with  an  enemy,  being  victorious,  they 
erected  a  trophy  upon  Leucinna,  a  promontory  of  Corcyra,  and  put 
to  death  all  the  prisoners  they  had  taken,  except  one,  who  was  a 
Coiiuthean. 

The  pretended  golden  age  of  those  nations  was  nothing  better 
than  to  wander  naked  in  the  forests  of  Hellas  and  Thessaly,  living 
on  herbs  and  acorns  j  by  which  we  perceive  that  the  ancient  Greeks 
were  truly  savages  of  the  same  kind  as  those  in  America,  and  pla- 
ced in  nearly  similar  circumstances  of  climate,  since  Greece  cover- 
ed with  forests,  was  then  much  colder  than  at  present.  Hence  we 
infer,  that  the  name  of  Pelnsgian,  believed  to  belong  to  one  and 
the  same  peonle,  wandering  and  dispersed  about  froui  the  Crimea 


,  and 
eece. 

ica,  for 
they 

nd  put 
was  a 

jetler 

iving 

rreeks 

d  pla- 

:over- 

ce  we 

e  and 

riruea 


AND  DISCOVERIES    i:i    THE    WEST. 


353 


to  the  Alps,  was  only  the  generic  appellation  of  the  savage  hordes 
of  the  first  inhabitants,  roaming  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Hurons 
and  Algonquins,  or  as  the  old  Germans  and  Celts. 

And  we  should  presume,  with  reason,  that  colonies  of  foreigners, 
farther  advanced  in  civilization,  coming  from  the  coasts  of  Asia, 
Phoenicia,  and  even  Egypt,  and  settling  on  those  of  Greece  and 
Latiura,  had  nearly  the  same  kind  of  intercourse  with  the^e  abori- 
gines ;  sometimes  friendly,  sometimes  hostile  ;  as  the  first  English 
settlers  in  Virginia  and  New-Engh^nd  had  with  the  American  sa- 


vages. 


By  these  comparisons  we  should  explain  both  the  intermixture 
and  disappearance  of  some  of  these  nations,  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  those  inhospitable  times,  when  every  stranger  was  an  ene- 
my, and  every  robber  a  hero  ;  when  there  was  no  law  but  force, 
no  virtue  but  bravery  in  war  ;  when  every  tribe  was  a  nation, 
and  every  assemblage  of  huts  a  metropolis. 

In  this  period  of  anarchy  and  disorder,  of  savage  life,  we  should 
see  the  origin  of  that  character  of  pride  and  boasting,  perfidiousnesa 
and  cruelty,  dissimulation  and  injustice,  sedition  and  tyranny,  that 
the  Greeks  display  throughout  the  whole  course  of  their  history  ; 
we  should  perceive  the  source  of  those  false  ideas  of  virtue  and 
glory,  sanctioned  by  the  poets  and  orators  of  those  fero-'ous  days  ; 
who  have  made  war  and  its  melancholy  trophies,  the  loftiest  aim 
of  man's  ambition,  the  most  shining  road  to  renown,  and  <he  most 
dazzling  object  of  ambition  to  the  ignorant  and  cheated  multitude  : 
And  since  the  polished  and  civilized  people  of  Christendom  have 
made  a  point  of  imitating  these  nations,  and  consider  their  poli- 
tics and  morals,  like  their  poetry  and  arts,  the  types  of  all  per- 
fection ;  it  follows  that  our  homage,  our  patronage,  and  veneration, 
are  addressed  to  the  manners  and  spirit  of  barbarous  and  savage 
times.  < 

The  grounds  of  comparison  are  so  true,  that  the  analogy  reaches 

even  to  their  philosophical  and  religious  opinions  j  for  all  the  prin- 

45 


'"If 


m. 


m 


354 


AMEniCAN    ANTlQUniE* 


ciples  of  tlie  stoic  school  of  the  (ireiiks  are  found  in  tlic  practice  of 
the  American  savages  ;  and  if  any  should  lay  hold  of  this  circum- 
stance to  impute  to  the  savages  the  merit  of  L'ing  philosophers,  we 
retort  the  supposition,  and  say,  we  ought,  on  the  contrary,  to  con- 
clude, that  a  state  of  society,  in  which  precepts  so  repugnant  to  hu- 
man nature^  were  invented  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  life  support- 
able, must  have  been  an  order  of  things,  and  of  government,  not 
less  miserable  than  the  savage  state.  This  opinion  is  supported  by 
the  whole  history  of  these  Grecian  times,  even  in  their  most  bril- 
liant periods,  and  by  the  uninterrupted  series  of  their  wars,  sedi- 
tions, massacres,  and  tyrannical  proscriptions,  down  to  the  time  of 
their  subjugation  by  those  other  savages  of  Italy,  called  the  Romans  ; 
who,  in  their  character,  politics,  and  aggrandizement,  have  a  strik- 
ing resemblance  to  the  Six  Nations. 

With  regard  to  religious  notions,  these  do  not  form  a  regular  sys- 
tem among  the  savages,  because  every  individual  in  his  indepen- 
dent state,  makes  himself  a  creed  after  his  own  fancy.  If  we  may 
judge  from  the  accounts  of  the  historians  of  the  first  settlers,  and 
those  of  late  travellers  in  the  northwest,  it  appears  that  the  Indians 
compose  their  mythology  in  the  following  manner  : 

First ;  a  Great  Manitou,  or  superior  being ;  who  governs  the 
earth  and  the  aerial  meteors,  the  visible  whole  of  which  constitutes 
the  universe  of  a  savage.  This  Great  Manitou,  residing  on  high, 
without  his  having  any  clear  idea  where,  rules  the  world,  without 
giving  himself  much  trouble  ;  sends  rain,  wind,  or  fair  weather, 
according  to  his  fancy  ;  sometimes^^makes  a  noise,  which  is  the 
thunder,  to  amuse  himself  ;  concerns  himself  ao  little  about  the  af- 
fairs of  men  as  about  those  of  other  living  beings  that  people  the 
earth  ;  does  good,  without  taking  any  thought  about  it  ;  suffers  ill 
to  be  perpetrated  without  its  disturbing  his  repose,  and  in  the  mean 
time  leaves  the  world  to  a.  destiny,  or  fatality,  the  laws  of  which 
ate  anterior,  and  paramount,  to  all  things. 

Under  his  command  are  subordinate  Manitous,  or  genii,  innume- 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


355 


rablc,  who  people  earth  and  air,  preside  over  every  thing  that  hap- 
pens, and  have  each  a  separate  employment.  Of  these  genii,  some 
are  good ;  and  these  do  all  the  good  that  takes  place  in  nature  ; 
others  are  bad,  and  these  occasion  all  the  evil  that  happens  to  living 
beings. 

It  is  to  the  latter  chiefly,  and  almost  exclusively,  that  the  savages 
address  their  prayers,  their  propitiatory  offerings,  and  what  religious 
worship  they  have  ;  the  object  of  which  is,  >  appease  the  malice 
of  these  Manitous,  as  men  appease  the  ill  humour  of  morose,  bad 
men.  This  fear  of  genii  is  one  of  their  most  habitual  thought,  and 
that  by  which  they  are  most  tormented.  Their  most  intrepid  war- 
riors are,  in  this  respect,  no  better  than  their  women  ;  a  dream,  a 
phantom  seen  at  night  in  the  woods,  or  a  sinister  cry,  equally  alarms 
their  credulous,  superstitious  minds. 

Their  magicians,  or,  as  we  more  properly  call  them,  jugglers, 
pretend  to  very  familiar  intercourse  with  these  genii  ;  they  are, 
however,  greatly  puzzled  to  explain  their  nature,  form,  and  aspect. 
Not  having  our  ideas  of  pure  spirit,  they  suppose  them  to  be  com- 
jwsed  of  substances,  yet  light,  volatile,  and  invisible,  true  shadows 
and  manes,  after  the  raaiyier  of  the  ancients.  Sometimes  they  se- 
l-ect  some  one  of  these  genii,  whom  they  suppose  to  reside  in  a  tree, 
a  serpent,  a  rock,  or  cateract,  and  this  they  make  their  fetih,  or 
god,  to  which  they  resort,  like  the  African.  The  notion  of  an- 
other life  is  a  petty  general  belief  among  the  savages.  They  ima- 
gine that  after  death  they  shall  go  into  another  climate  and  country, 
where  game  and  fish  abound,  where  they  can  hunt  without  being 
fatigued,  w'alk  about,  without  fear  of  an  enemy,  eat  very  fat  meat, 
and  live  without  care  or  trouble.  The  Indians  of  the  north,  place 
this  climate  toward  the  southwest,  because  the  summer  winds,  and 
the  most  pleasing  and  genial  temperature,  come  from  that  quarter. 

This  sketch  of  Indian  manners,  is  supposed  sufficient  by  Mr. 
Volney,  to  prove  that  there  is  a  real  analogy  between  the  mytholo- 
gical ideas  of  the  Indians  of  North  America  and  those  of  the  Asiatic 


iY'.^ 


356 


iMERICAX    ANTIQUITIES 


Tartars,  as  they  have  been  described  to  us  by  the  learned  Russians, 
who  have  visited  them  not  many  years  since. 

The  analogy  between  them  and  the  notions  of  the  Greeks,  is 
equally  evident.  We  discern  the  Great  Manitou  of  the  savages,  in 
the  Jupiter  of  the  heroic  ages,  or  their  savage  times  ;  with  this  dif- 
ference only,  that  the  JVIanitou  of  the  Americans,  leads  a  melancho- 
ly, poor,  and  wearisome  life,  like  themselves  ;  v\l»ile  the  Jupiter  of 
Homer,  and  of  Hesiod,  displays  all  the  magnificence  of  ♦he  :ourt  of 
Hecatompylean  Thebes,  the  wonderful  secrets  of  which  ^ave  been 
disclosed  to  us  in  the  present  age.  See  the  elegant  work  of  Mr. 
Denon,  on  the  high  degree  of  taste,  learning,  and  perfection,  at 
which  the  arts  had  arrived  in  that  Thebes,  which  was  buried  in  the 
night  of  history,  before  Greece  or  Italy  was  known. 

In  the  lesser  Manitous  of  the  Indians,  are  equally  evident  the 
subordinate  deities  of  Greece  ;  the  genii  of  the  woods  and  foun- 
tains, and  the  demons  honoured  with  a  similar  superstitious  worship. 
The  conclusion  Volney  draws  from  all  this,  is  not  that  the  In- 
dians have  derived  their  notions  from  Greece,  but  rather  are  deriv- 
able from  Shamanism,  or  the  Lamic  system  cf  Budda,  which  spread 
itself  from  Hindostan  among  all  the  savages  of  the  old  world,  where 
it  is  found  even  to  the  extremities  of  Spain,  and  Scotland,  and  Cim- 
brica- 

Yet  as  traits  of  the  Grecian  nations  are  found,  especially  in  South 
America,  as  in  the  discovery  of  the  subterranean  cavity  of  mason 
work,  noticed  on  page  44,  and  in  the  cave  on  the  Ohio,  as  noticed 
on  page  142,  it  is  not  impossible,  but  that  from  the  Greeks,  some- 
time in  this  country  before  the  Indians  found  their  way  here,  they 
may  have  communicated  there  mythological  notions  to  the  more 
ancient  inhabitants,  from  whom  the  Tartars,  or  our  Indians,  when 
they  conquered  or  drove  away  that  people,  imbibed  their  opinions; 
as  it  is  not  without  precedent,  that  the  conquered  have  given  to  the 
conqueror  their  religion  as  well  as  their  country. 


AND    DISCOVERIKS   IN   THE  WEST. 


367 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  INDIAN  FUNERAL  FIRES. 


Fno:*!      SCHOOLCRAFT, 


The  following  customs  have  been  observed  among  the  Chippe- 
■was  inhabiting  the  shores  of  Lake  Superiour.  How  far  ihey  have 
spread  among  those  tribes,  or  with  what  sliades  of  difference  they 
may  exist,  even  throughout  the  various  bands  of  this  widely  dis- 
persed nation,  it  would  be  interesting  to  determine. 

For  several  nights  after  the  interment  of  a  person,  a  fire  is  placed 
upon  the  grave.  This  fire  is  lit  in  the  evening,  and  carefully  sup- 
plied with  small  sticks  of  dry  wood,  to  keep  up  a  bright  but  small 
blaze..  It  is  kept  burning  for  several  hours,  generally  until  the 
usual  hour  of  retiring  to  rest,  and  then  suffered  to  go  out.  This 
fire  is  renewed  for  four  nights,  and  sometimes  longer.  The  per- 
son who  performs  this  pious  rite,  is  generally  a  near  relative  of  the 
deceased,  or  one  who  has  lived  in  long  habits  of  intimacy  with 
him.  The  following  tale  is  related  by  the  Indians,  as  being  the 
origin  of  the  custom. 

A  small  war  party  of  Chippewas  encountered  their  enemies  upon 
an  open  plain,  where  a  severe  battle  was  fought.  Their  leader  was 
a  brave  and  distinguished  warrior,  but  he  never  acted  with  greater 
bravery,  or  distinguished  himself  for  greater  personal  prowess,  than 
now.  After  turning  the  tide  of  battle  against  his  enemies,  and 
while  shouting  for  victory,  he  received  an  arrow  in  his  breast,  and 
fell  dead  upon  the  plain.  No  warrior  thus  killed  is  ever  buried  j 
and,  according  to  ancient  custom,  he  was  placed  in  a  sitting  posture 
upon  the  field,  his  back  supported  by  a  tree,  and  his  face  toward 
the  course  in  which  their  enemies  had  fled.  His  head-dress  and 
equipments  were  accurately  adjusted,  as  if  living,  and  his  bow 
leaned  against  his  shoulder.   In  this  posture  his  companions  left  him. 


i-i- 


m 


m 


Mto 


358 


AMCmCAN    ANTIQUITIES 


Altliouffli  tlopii\  ('(1  of  tlu'  j)o\ver  of  utleranoc,  or  of  .iftion,  lie 
heard  distinctly,  all  that  had  been  said  by  his  friends.  He  heard 
them  h.^ent  his  death,  without  the  power  of  contradicting  it ;  and 
he  felt  their  touch,  a?;  they  adjusted  his  posture,  without  the  strength 
to  reciprocate  it.  His  anguish,  when  he  felt  himself  thus  abandon- 
ed, was  raised  to  the  extreme:  and  his  wish  to  follow  his  fiiends 
on  their  return  so  completely  filled  his  mind,  when  he  saw  them, 
one  after  another,  take  leave  of  the  corpse  and  depart,  that,  ai'ter 
making  v.  violent  exertion,  he  arose,  or  seemed  to  himself  to  rise, 
and  follow  therr>.  But  his  form  was  invisible  to  them  ;  and  this 
gave  new  cause  for  tlte  surprise,  disappointment,  and  rage,  whici; 
alternately  filled  his  breast.  He  followed  their  track,  however, 
with  great  diligence.  Wherever  they  went,  he  went ;  when  they 
walked,  he  walked  ;  when  they  ran,  he  ran  ;  when  they  encamp- 
ed, he  encamped;  when  they  slept,  he  slept;  and  when  they 
aw».ke,  he  awoke.  In  short,  he  mingled  in  all  their  labours  and 
toils  ;  but  he  was  excluded  from  all  their  sources  of  refreshment, 
except  that  of  sleeping,  and  from  the  pleasures  of  participating  in 
their  conversation,  for  all  that  he  said  was  unattended  to. 

"  Is  it  possible,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  you  do  not  see  me — that 
you  do  uot  hear  me — that  you  do  not  understand  me  .'  will  you  suf- 
fer me  to  bleed  to  death,  without  offering  to  staunch  my  wounds  ? 
will  you  permit  me  to  starve  in  the  midst  of  plenty .'  have  those 
whom  I  have  so  often  led  to  war,  so  soon  forgotten  me  ?  is  there  no 
one  who  recollects  me,  or  who  will  ofier  me  a  morsel  of  food  in  mv 
distress.'"  Thus  he  continued  to  upbraid  his  friends,  at  every  stage 
of  the  journey,  but  no  one  seemed  to  hear  his  words ;  or  if  they 
heard  his  voice,  they  mistook  its  sound  for  the  winds  of  summer, 
rustling  among  the  green  leaves. 

At  length,  the  returning  war  party  reached  their  village  ;  and 
their  women  and  children  came  out,  according  to  custom,  to  wel- 
come their  return,  and  proclaim  their  praises.  Kumaudjeewug ! 
Kamaudjeewug !  They  have  met,  fought,  and  conquered,  was  shout- 


AND    DISCOVURIKS    IN    TUli  WEST 


359 


Ivoimds  ? 
'e  those 
tlicre  no 
d  in  ray 
|ry  stage 
if  they 
Rummer, 

je  ;  and 

to  wel- 

jewug ! 

Is  shout- 


ed from  from  e\ery  moutii,  and  resoimdcd  tliruii<;li  tho  must  distaut 
parts  of  the  village.  Those  who  had  lost  friends,  canic  eagerly  to 
inquire  their  fate,  and  to  know  whether  they  had  died  like  men. 
The  decrepit  fathc  r  consoled  himself  for  the  loss  of  his  son,  with 
the  reflection  that  ho  had  fallen  manfully,  and  the  widow  half  for- 
got her  sorrow  amid  the  praises  that  were  uttered  of  the  bravery  of 
her  departed  husband.  The  breasts  of  the  youths  glowcil  with  mar- 
tial ardour  as  they  heard  these  llattering  praises,  and  children  join- 
ed in  shouts  of  which  they  scarcely  knew  the  meaning.  But  amidst 
all  this  uproar  and  bustle,  no  one  seemed  conscious  of  the  presence 
of  the  wounded  warrior  chief.  He  heard  many  inquiries  of  his 
own  fate — he  heard  them  relate  how  he  had  fought,  conquered,  and 
fallen  with  an  arrow  pierced  through  his  breast,  and  that  his  body 
had  been  left  among  the  slain. 

"  It  is  not  true,"  replied  the  indignant  chief,  with  a  loud  voice, 
'*  that  I  was  killed  and  left  upon  tlie  field.  1  am  here  !  I  live  !  I 
move  !  see  me  !  touch  me  !  I  shall  again  raise  my  lance  in  battle, 
and  "ound  my  drum  in  the  feast."  But  nobody  seemed  conscious 
of  his  presence,  and  they  mistook  his  loud  voice  for  the  whispering 
winds.  He  now  walked  to  his  own  lodge  ;  he  saw  his  wife  within, 
tearing  her  hair,  and  raising  her  lamentations  over  his  fate  :  he  en- 
deavoured to  undeceive  her,  but  she  also  seemed  equally  insensible 
of  his  presence  or  his  voice  :  she  sat  in  a  dtsniiring  manner,  with 
her  head  reclining  upon  her  hands  ;  he  asked  her  to  bind  up  his 
wounds,  but  she  made  no  reply  ;  he  then  placed  his  mouth  close  to 
her  ear,  and  vociferated,  "  I  am  hungry,  give  me  some  food."  The 
wife  thought  she  heard  a  buzzing  in  her  ear,  and  remarked  it  to 
one  who  sat  near  her.  The  enraged  husband,  cow  summoning  all 
his  strength,  struck  her  a  blow  upon  her  forehead.  She  only  com- 
plained of  feeling  a  shooting  pain  there,  such  as  is  not  nnfrequent, 
and  raising  her  hand  to  her  head,  remarked,  "  I  feel  a  slight 
headliach." 


4^' 


3, 


i^fihi 


MMMI 


360 


AMERICAN    ANTKiUITIES 


Foiled  thus  in  every  attempt  to  make  himself  known,  the  war- 
rior chief  began  to  roilect  upon  what  he  had  heard  in  his  youth, 
that  the  spirit  was  sometimes  permitted  to  leave  the  body  and  wan- 
der about-  He  ri'llected  that  possibly  his  body  may  have  remained 
upon  the  field  of  battle,  while  hi'-  spirit  only  aecompnnied  his  re- 
turning friends.  He  determintd  to  return  upon  their  track,  al- 
though it  was  four  days'  journey  to  the  place.  He  accordingly  be- 
gan his  journey  immediately.  For  liirtc  days,  he  pursued  his 
way  without  meeting  any  thing  uncommon,  but  on  the  fourth,  to- 
wards evening,  as  he  came  to  the  skirts  of  the  battle-field,  he  saw 
a  fire  in  the  path  before  him.  He  walked  to  one  side  to  avoid 
stepping  into  it,  but  the  fire  also  had  moved  its  position,  and  was 
still  before  him.  He  then  went  in  another  direction,  but  the  mys- 
terious fire  still  crossed  his  path,  and  seemed  to  bar  his  entrance  to 
the  scene  of  conflict.  In  short,  whichever  way  he  took,  the  fire 
was  still  before  him ;  no  expedient  seemed  capable  of  eluding  it. 
"  Thou  demon,"  he  exclaimed,  at  length,  "  Why  dost  thou  bar  my 
approach  to  the  field  of  battle  .'  Knowest  thou  not  that  I  ara  a  spirit 
also,  and  that  I  seek  again  to  enter  my  body .'  Or  dost  thou  pre- 
sume that  I  shall  return  without  effecting  my  object .'  Know  that  I 
have  never  been  defeated  by  the  enemies  of  my  nation,  and  will 
not  be  defeated  by  thee !"  So  saying,  he  made  a  sudden  effort  and 
jumped  through  the  flame.  In  this  exertion,  he  awoke  from  his 
sleep,  having  lain  eight  days  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  found  him- 
self silting  on  the  ground,  with  his  back  supported  by  a  tree,  and 
his  bow  leaning  against  his  shoulder,  having  all  his  warlike  dress 
and  implements  upon  his  body,  the  same  as  they  had  been  left  by 
his  friends  on  the  day  of  battle.  He  looked  up  and  beheld  a  large 
canieu,  or  war  eagle,  sitting  in  the  tree  above  his  head.  He  imme- 
diately recognised  this  bird  to  be  the  same  he  had  dreamt  of  in  his 
youth,  and  whom  he  had  selected  as  his  guardian  spirit,  or  personal 
moneto.  This  bird  had  carefully  watched  his  body,  and  prevented 
other  ravenous  birds  from  devouring  it.     He  got  up  and  stood  some 


AND    DISCOVERIEB   IN   THE   WEST 


S61 


le  war- 
youth, 
id  wan- 
;mained 
his  re  • 
ai'k,  al- 
ngly  be- 
siiecl  his 
lurth,  to- 
,  he  saw 
to  avoid 
and  was 
the  mys- 
itrauce  to 
:,  the  fire 
luding  it. 
u  bar  my 
m  a  spirit 
thou  pre- 
|ow  that  I 
and  will 
ffort  and 
from  his 
land  him- 
tree,  and 
ke  dress 
in  left  by 
|d  a  large 
e  imme- 
|of  in  his 
personal 
■evented 
lod  some 


time  upon  his  feet :  but  he  found  himself  weak  and  much  exhaust' 
ed.      The  blood  upon  his  wound  had  staunched  itself,  and  he  now 
bound  it  up.      He  possessed  the  knowledge  of  such  roots  as  were 
efficacious  for  its  cure.     These  he  carefully  sought  in  the  woods. 
Some  of  them  he  pounded  between  stones,  and  applied  externally ; 
others  he  chewed  and  swallowed.     In  a  short  time,  he  found  him- 
self so  much  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  commence  hi' journey  ;  but 
he  suftered  groiitly  from  hunger,  not  being  able  to  see  any  large 
animals.    With  his  bow  and  arrows,  however,  he  killed  small  birds 
during  the  day,  which  he  roasted  before  the  fire  at  night.     In  this 
way,  he  sustained  himself  until  he  came  to  a  water  that  separated 
bis  wife  and  friends  from  him.     He  then  gave  that  peculiar  whoop 
which  indicates  the  safe  return  of  an  absent  friend.      The  sig- 
nal was  instantly  known,  and  a  canoe  despatched  to  bring  him 
across.     But  while  this  canoe  \vas  absent,  conjecture  was  exhaust- 
ing itself  in  designating  the  unknown  person  who  had  given  this 
friendly  intimation  of  his  approach.     All  who  had  been  of  the  war 
party  had  returned,  except  those  who  were  killed  on  the  field.     It 
might  be  some  neighbouring  hunter.     It  might  be  some  deception 
of  their  enemies.      It  was  rash  to  send  a  canoe  without  knowing 
that  any  of  their  friends  were  absent.     In  the  height  of  this  con- 
jecture, the  warrior  chief  was  landed  amidst  the  shouts  of  his  friends 
and   relations,  who  thronged  from  every  lodge  to  welcome  their 
faithful  leader.     When  the  first  wild  bursts  of  wonder  and  joy  had 
subsided,  and  some  degree  of  quiet  was  restored  in  the  village,  he 
related  to  his  people  the  account  of  his  adventures,  which  has  been 
given.     He  then  concluded  his  narration  by  telling  them  that  it  is 
pleasing  to  the  spirit  of  a  deceased  person,  to  have  a  fire  built  upon 
his  grave  for  four  nights  after  his  interment :   that  it  is  four  days' 
journey  to  the  land  appointed  for  the  residence  of  the  spirit :  that 
in  its  journey  thither,  the  spirit  stood  in  need  of  a  fire  every  night, 

«t  the  place  of  its  encampment :  and  that  if  the  friends  kindled  this 

46 


•*■ 


Mm 


36a 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


funeral  fire  upon  the  place  where  the  body  was  deposited,  the  spirit 
had  the  benefit  of  its  light  and  warmth  in  its  sojourning.  If  they 
neglected  this  rite,  the  spirit  would  himself  be  subjected  to  the  irk- 
some task  of  building  its  own  fires  at  night. 


THE  TRANCE  OF  GAUZINEE.THE  INDIAN  HUNTER,  OR  CHIP- 
PEWA CHIEF. 

Formerly,  it  was  customary  among  the  Chippewas  to  bury 
many  articles  with  the  dead,  including,  if  the  deceased  was  a  male, 
his  bow  and  quiver,  or  gun  ;  his  trap,  clothes,  and  even  a  portion 
of  food.  This  practice  is  now  limited  to  comparatively  few  articles, 
such  as  the  deceased  was  most  particularly  fond  of,  or  has  express- 
ed a  desire  to  have  deposited  witli  his  body.  This  change  is  attri- 
buted, in  a  great  measure,  to  the  following  incident  in  the  life  of  a 
noted  Chief,  of  former  days. 

Gitshee  Gauzinee,  after  an  illness  of  only  a  few  days,  expired 
suddenly,  in  the  presence  of  his  numerous  friends,  by  whom  he 
was  greatly  beloved  and  grealy  lamented.  He  had  been  an  expert 
hunter,  and  was  particularly  attached  to  an  uncommonly  fine  gun, 
which  he  requested  might  be  buried  with  him.  But  the  value  at- 
ta''hed  to  this  article,  then  newly  introduced  among  the  Indians, 
and  very  rare,  induced  his  friends  to  pause  as  to  the  performance  of 
this  injunction.  In  the  mean  time,  there  were  some  who  supposed 
that  his  death  was  not  real,  but  that  the  functions  of  life  were  mere- 
ly suspended,  and  would  again  be  restored.  On  this  account,  the 
body  was  not  interred,  but  laid  aside  in  a  separate  lodge,  where  it 
was  carefully  watched  by  the  widow.  She  thought,  by  laying  her 
hand  upon  certai*:  parts  of  the  breast,  that  a  feeble  pulsation  could 
be  felt,  and  this  inspired  fresh  hopes  for  his  restoration.  After  the 
lapse  of  four  days,  their  sanguine  hopes  were  realized :  he  awoke 
as  if  from  a  deep  sleep :  he  complaind  of  thirst,  and  by  the  kind 


AND    DISCOVERIES    in    THE    WEST. 


863 


attention  of  his  friends,  his  health  began  to  mend  rapidly-  When 
lie  was  completely  restored,  he  related  the  following  account  of 
himself: 

After  death  he  travelled  on  in  the  path  of  the  dead  for  three 
days,  without  meeting  with  any  thing  of  an  extraordinary  nature. 
But  he  then  began  to  suffer  much  for  the  want  of  food.  When  he 
came  in  sight  of  the  village  of  the  dead,  he  saw  immense  droves  of 
stately  deer,  moose,  and  other  large  and  fat  animals,  browzing  tame- 
ly near  his  path.  This  only  served  to  aggravate  his  craving  appe- 
tite, because  he  had  brought  nothing  wherewith  to  kill  them.  He 
now  bethought  himself  of  the  fine  gun  he  had  left  behind,  and  at 
once  resolved  to  return  and  obtain  it.  On  his  way  back,  he  met  a 
great  concourse  of  people,  men,  woman  and  children,  travelling  on 
toward  the  residence  of  the  dead.  Bat  he  obiurved  particularly, 
that  they  were  all  very  heavily  laden  with  axes,  kettles,  guns, 
meatj,  &c.  so  that  it  was  a  grievous  burthen  to  thorn,  and  each  one 
uttered  their  complaints  as  they  passed. 

He  met  an  aged  man,  who  stopped  him  to  complain  of  the  bur- 
dens his  friends  had  imposed  upon  him  to  carry  to  the  land  of  the 
dead,  and  this  man  concluded  his  address  by  offering  him  his  gun. 
Shortly  after,  he  met  a  veiy  old  woman,  who  olL*red  him  a  kettle, 
and  a  little  further  on,  a  young  man,  who  offered  him  an  axe.  All 
these  presents  he  accepted  out  of  courtesy,  for  he  had  determined 
to  go  back  for  his  own  gun,  and  therefore  stood  in  little  need  of 
these  presents.  When  he  came  near  his  own  lodge,  he  could  dis- 
cover nothing  but  a  long  line  of  waving  fire,  which  seemed  com- 
pletely to  encircle  it.  How  to  get  across  he  could  not  devise,  for 
whenever  he  attempted  to  advance  towards  those  places  where  the 
blaze  seemed  flagging,  it  would  suddenly  shoot  up  into  brilliant 
cones.  At  last  he  drew  back  a  little  and  made  a  desperate  leap 
into  the  flames.  The  united  effects  of  the  heat,  the  violent  exer* 
tion,  and  the  fear  of  being  burned  in  his  desperate  attempt,  result- 
ed in  his  restoration.     He  awoke  from  his  trance. 


■  i* 


1 


m 


,1 1' 


I  jit 


mm* 


MMfii 


804 


AMERICArV   ANTIQUITIES 


"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  he,  addressing  his  friends,  "  of  one  prac- 
tice in  which  our  fathers  have  been  wrong.  They  have  been  ac- 
customed to  bury  too  many  things  with  the  dead.  It  is  so  burthen- 
some  to  them,  that  they  have  complained  to  me  bitterly  on  the  sub- 
ject. Besides,  they  are  much  longer  in  reaching  the  land  of  spirits. 
Hereafter,  put  such  things  only  in  the  grave,  as  will  not  be  irksome 
to  carry.  The  dress  which  the  deceased  was  most  fond  of  while 
living,  he  should  always  be  clothed  in  when  dead.  His  feathers, 
his  head  dress,  his  ornaments,  are  but  light,  and  will  be  very  agree- 
able to  his  spirit.  His  pipe  also,  will  afford  him  a  pleasant  amuse- 
ment on  his  road.  If  he  has  any  thing  more,  let  it  be  divided 
among  his  nearest  relatives  and  friends." 

The  foregoing  tales  appear  to  be  designed  to  enforce  the  observ- 
ance of  certain  customs,  and  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  the  children 
a  knowledge  of  those  rites  which  are  supposed  to  be  necessary  to 
the  formation  of  their  character. 


THE  TWO  GHOSTS,  OR  HOSPITALITY  REWARDED. 

Many  years  ago,  (such  is  the  import  of  the  Indian  word  Keewaa,) 
there  lived  near  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior,  a  noted  hunter,  who 
had  a  wife  and  one  child.  His  lodge  stood  in  a  remote  part  of  the 
forest,  several  days'  journey  from  any  other  person.  He  spent  his. 
days  in  the  noble  amusement  of  hunting,  and  hia  evenings  in  rela- 
ting to  his  wife  the  incidents  that  had  befallen  him  in  the  chase. 
Ab  game  was  then  very  abundant,  he  seldom  failed  to  bring  home 
in  the  evening  an  ample  store  of  meats,  to  last  them  until  the  suc- 
ceeding evening ;  and  while  they  were  seated  at  the  fire  of  his 
cleanly  swept  lodge,  partaking  of  the  fruits  of  his  daily  labour,  he 
entertained  his  wife  in  coversation,  or  in  occasionally  relating  those 
tales,  or  enforcing  those  precepts,  which  every  g^od  Indian  esteera» 
necessary,  for  the  instruction  of  his  wife  and  his  children. 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


3ff6' 


Thus  far  removed  from  all  sources  of  disquiet,  surrounded  with 
all  that  they  deemed  necessary  to  their  comfort,  and  happy  in  the 
society  of  each  other,  their  lives  passed  away  in  cheerful  solitude 
and  sweet  contentment.  The  breast  of  the  hunter  had  never  felt 
the  compunctions  of  remorse  ;  for  he  was  a  just  man  in  all  his  deal- 
ings. He  had  never  violated  the  laws  of  his  tribe,  by  encroaching 
upon  the  hunting  grounds  of  his  neighbours,  by  tal<mg  that  which 
did  not  of  right  belong  to  him,  or  by  any  act  whatever  calculated  to 
displease  the  villege  chiefj,  or  offend  the  Great  Spirit.  His  chief 
ambition  was  to  support  his  family,  with  a  sufficiency  of  food  and 
clothing  by  his  own  unaided  exertions,  and  to  share  their  happiness 
around  his  cheerful  evening  fire.  As  yet  the  white  man  had  not 
taught  them  that  blankets  and  clothes  were  necessary  to  their  com- 
fort, or  that  guns  could  be  used  in  killing  game.  Skins  answered 
the  purpose  of  the  former,  ajid  the  bow  and  ai  row  well  supplied  the 
place  of  the  latter.  They  had  no  occasion  to  cut  down  large  trees 
then,  any  more  than  at  the  present  period,  and  axes  of  stone  ans- 
wered all  the  moderate  and  simple  purposes  of  Indian  life.  Iron 
and  gun  powder,  with  all  the  multiplied  concomitants,  \i.'.':  not  yet 
found  their  way  into  these  remote  and  peaceful  forests,  not  h.\d  the 
white  man  poured  his  wrathful  phial  of  liquid  fire  upon  tl  e  indiaii 
nations. 

So  peacefully  glided  away  the  life  of  the  Chippewa  Hunter,  hap- 
py in  his  ignorance,  but  still  happier  in  his  simplicity,  and  his  full 
reliance  upon  the  superintending  care  of  an  overruling  Great  Spirit. 

One  evening  during  the  winter  season,  it  chanced  that  he  re- 
mained out  later  than  usual,  and  his  wife  sat  lonesome  in  the  tent, 
and  began  to  be  agitated  with  fears  that  some  fatal  accident  had 
befallen,  him.  Darkness  had  already  veiled  the  face  of  nature. 
She  listened  attentively  to  catch  the  sound  of  coming  footsteps,  but 
nothing  could  be  heard  but  the  wind  mournfully  whistling  around 
the  sides  of  their  slender  lodge.  Time  passed  away  in  this  state  of 
Huspence,  every  moment  augmenting  her  fears,  and  adding  to  her 


ml 


i 


'J! 


a 


■  If  i> 


m 


MfMMlWMa 


i^lMM 


386 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIEg 


disappointment.  Suddenly  she  heard  the  sound  of  approaching 
footsteps,  upon  the  frozen  surface  of  creaking  snow.  Not  doubting 
it  must  be  he  whom  she  expected,  she  quickly  unfastened  the  loop, 
which  held  by  an  inner  fastening  the  skin-door  of  the  lodge,  and 
throwing  it  open,  beheld  two  strange  females  standing  in  front. 
Courtesy  left  her  no  room  for  deliberation.  She  bade  them  enter 
and  warm  themselves,  knowing  from  the  distanoe  to  the  nearest 
neighbours,  that  they  must  have  walked  a  considerable  distance. 
When  they  had  entered  she  invited  them  to  remain.  But  she  soon 
observed  that  they  were  total  strangers  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
and  the  more  closely  she  scrutinized  their  manners,  their  dress,  and 
studied  deportment,  the  stronger  was  her  conviction  that  they  were 
persons  of  no  ordinary  character.  No  efforts  could  induce  them  to 
come  near  the  fire  ;  they  took  their  seats  in  a  remote  corner  of  the 
lodge,  and  drew  their  garments  about  their  persons  in  such  a  man- 
ner, as  almost  completely  to  hide  their  faces.  They  seemed  shy 
and  taciturn,  and  when  a  glimpse  could  be  had  of  their  faces,  they 
were  pale,  even  to  a  deathly  hue  :  their  eyes  were  vivid  but  sunk- 
en ;  their  cheek  bones  quite  prominent,  and  their  whole  persons, 
as  far  as  could  be  judged,  slender  and  emaciated.  Seeing  that  her 
guests  avoided  conversation,  as  well  as  observation,  she  forbore  to 
question  them,  and  sat  in  silence  until  her  husband  entered.  He 
had  been  led  farther  than  usual  in  the  pursuit  of  game,  but  return- 
with  the  carcass  of  a  large  and  fat  deer.  The  moment  he  entered 
the  lodge,  the  mysterious  females  exclaimed,  "  Behold  !  what  a 
fine  and  fat  animal  !"  and  they  immediately  ran  and  pulled  off" 
pieces  of  the  whitest  fat,  which  they  ate  with  avidity.  As  this  is 
esteemed  the  choicest  part  of  the  animal,  such  conduct  appeared 
very  strange  to  the  huuter  ;  but  supposing  they  had  hern  a  long 
time  without  food,  he  forbore  to  accuse  them  of  ludeness,  and  his 
wife,  taking  example  from  the  husband,  was  equally  guarded  in 
her  language.  On  the  following  evening  the  same  scene  was  re- 
peated     He  brought  home  the  best  portions  of  the  game  he  had 


AND    DIJCOV£RIES    IN    THE  WEST. 


367 


killed,  and  while  in  the  act  of  laying  it  down  before  his  wife,  ac- 
cording to  custom,  the  two  females  came  up  eagerly,  and  tore  off 
large  pieces  of  fat,  which  they  ate  with  greediness,  as  on  the  pre- 
ceding evening.     Such  behaviour  was  calculated  to  raise  displea- 
sure on  the  brow  of  the   hunter,  but   still  the   deference  due  to 
strange  guests,  induced  him  to  pcss  it  over  in  silence.     Observing 
their  partiality  for  this  part  of  the  animal,  he  resolved  the  nest  day, 
to  anticipate  their  wants,  by  cutting  off  and  tyin.5  up  a  portion  of 
the  fat  for  each.     This  he  placed  upon  the  top  of  his  burden,  and 
as  soon  as  he  entered  the  lodge,  he  gave  each  her  portion.     Still 
the  guests  appeared  dissatisfied,  and  took  more  from  the  carcass  ly- 
ing by  the  wife.     Many  persons  would  have  repressed  this  forward- 
pess,  either  by  some  look,  word,  or  action  ;  but  this  man,  being  a 
just  and  prudent  man,  slow  to  provocation,  and  patient  under  petty 
afflictions,  did  neither.     He  was  perhaps  the  more  disposed  to  this 
quiet  spirit  of  forbearance,  by  an  opinion  that  his  guests  were  per- 
sons of  distinguished  rank  who  chose  thus  to  visit  him  in  disguise, 
and  also  by  reflecting  that  the  best  luck  had  attended  him  in  hunt- 
ing, since  the  arrival  of  the  mysterious  strangers  beneath  his  roof. 

In  all  other  respects  the  deportment  of  the  females  was  unexcep- 
tionable, although  marked  with  some  peculiarities.     They  Avere 
quiet,  modert,  and  discreet.     They  maintained  a  cautious  silence 
through  the  day,    neither  uttering  a  word,  nor  moving  from  the 
lodge.     At  night  they  would  get  up,  and  taking  those  implements 
which  were  then  used  in  breaking  and  preparing  wood,  repair  to 
the  forest.     Here  they  would  busy  themselves  in  seeking  dry  limbs 
and  fragments  of  trees  blown  down  by  tempests.     When  a  sufli- 
cient  quantity  had  been  gathered  to  last  until  the  succeeding  night, 
they  carried  it  home  upon  their  shoulders ;  tht:n,  carefully  putting  eve- 
ly  thing  in  Its  proper  place  within  the  lodge,  they  resumed  their  seats 
and  studied  silen^.e.  Thev  were  careful  to  return  from  their  noctur- 
nal  labours  before  the  dawning  of  the  day,  and  were  never  known  to 
itay  out  beyond  that  hour.     In  this  manner,  they  repaid,  in  some 


■■: 


m 


y;.i\ 


fi>i 


368 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


measure,  the  kindness  of  the  hunter,  and  relieved  his  wife  from  one 
of  her  most  laborious  duties. 

Thus  nearly  the  whole  winter  passed  away,  every  day  leading  to 
some  new  developement  of  character,  which  served  to  endear  the 
parties  to  each  other.  The  visitors  began  to  assume  a  more  hale 
and  healthful  aspect.  Their  faces  daily  lost  something  of  that 
deathly  hue  which  had  at  first  marked  them,  and  they  visibly  im- 
proved in  strength,  and  threw  off  some  of  that  cold  reserve,  and 
forbidding  austerity,  which  had  kept  the  hunter  so  long  in  igno- 
rance of  their  true  character.  One  evening,  tlio  hunter  returned 
very  late,  after  having  spent  the  day  in  toilsome  exertion,  and  lay- 
ing the  product  of  his  hunt  ai  his  wife's  feet,  the  silent  females  be- 
gan to  tear  off  the  fat  in  such  an  unceremonious  manner,  ihat  the 
wife  could  no  longer  control  her  feelings,  and  svft'ored  the  thought 
to  pass  hastily  in  her  mind,  "  This  conduct  is  certainly  most  extra- 
ordinary !  How  can  I  bear  with  it  any  longer  !"  She  did  not, 
however,  give  utterance  to  her  feelings.  But  an  immediate  change 
was  seen  in  the  females.  They  became  unusually  reserved,  and 
showed  evident  signs  of  being  uneasy  in  their  situation.  The  good 
hunter  immediately  perceived  this  change,  and,  fearful  that  they 
had  taken  offence,  so  soon  as  they  had  retired  to  rest,  demanded  of 
his  wife  whether  any  harsh  expression  had  escaped  her  lips  during 
the  day.  She  replied  that  she  had  uttered  nothing  to  give  the  least 
oflcnce.  He  now  tried  to  compose  himself  to  sleep,  but  he  felt 
restive  and  uneasy,  for  he  could  plainly  hear  the  sighs  and  half- 
smothered  lament  'i^ons  o"  the  two  females.  Every  moment  added 
to  his  convictions  tliat  their  guests  bar*  taken  deep  oflence,  and,  as 
he  could  not  banish  this  idea  from  his  mind,  he  arose  on  his  couch, 
and  addressing  the  sobbing  inmates. 

"  Tell  me,  ye  wonien,  what  is  it  that  causes  you  pain  of  mind, 
and  makes  you  utter  these  unceasing  sighs  ?  Has  my  helpmate  giv- 
en you  any  cause  of  offence  during  the  day,  while  1  was  absent  in 
the  chase  ?  My  fears  persuade  me  that  in  some  inguarded  moment. 


\    •     " 


AND  UISCOVEIUES    IN    THE    WEST- 


369 


f  mind, 

ate  glv- 

)sent  in 

oment. 


she  has  forgotten  what  is  due  to  the  rights  of  hospitality,  and  used 
expressions  ill-befitting  the  mysterious  character  which  you  seem 
to  sustain.  Tell  me,  ye  strangers  from  a  strange  country — ye  wo- 
men who  appear  not  to  be  of  this  world,  what  is  it  that  causes  you 
pain  of  mind,  and  makes  you  utter  the^e  unceasing  sighs  r" 

They  replied  that  no  unkind  expression  had  ever  been  used  to- 
wards them  since  theii  residence  in  his  hospitable  lodge ;  that  they 
had  received  all  the  affectionate  attention  wliich  they  could  reason- 
ably expect.  "  It  is  not  for  ourselves,"  they  continued,  "  it  is  not 
for  ourselves  that  we  weep.  We  are  weeping  for  the  fate  of  man- 
kind. We  are  weeping  for  the  fate  of  mortals,  whom  death  awaits 
at  every  stage  of  their  existence.  Proud  mortals  !  whom  disease 
attacks  in  youth  and  in  age.  Vain  men  !  whom  hunger  pinches, 
cold  benumbs,  and  poverty  emaciates.  Weak  beings,  who  are 
born  in  tears,  who  are  nurtured  ill  tears,  who  die  in  tears,  and 
whose  whole  course  is  marked  upon  the  thirsty  sands  of  life  in  a 
broad  line  of  tears.     It  is  for  these  we  weep  !" 

You  have  spoken  truly,  brother  ;  we  are  not  of  this  world.  We 
are  spirits  from  the  land  of  tlie  dead,  sent  upon  the  earth  to  try  the 
sincerity  of  the  living.  It  is  not  for  the  dead,  but  for  the  living,  that 
we  mourn.  By  no  means  was  it  necessary  that  your  wife  should 
have  expressed  her  thoughts  towards  us.  We  knew  them  before 
they  were  expressed.  We  saw,  that  for  once,  displeasure  had  ari- 
sen in  her  heart.  ,  It  is  enough  !  our  mission  is  ended.  We  came 
but  to  try  you,  and  we  knew,  before  we  came,  that  you  were  a  kind 
husband,  an  affectionate  father,  and  a  temperate  man.  Still,  you 
have  the  wcikness  of  a  mortal,  and  your  wife  is  found  wanting  in 
our  eyes.  But  it  is  not  alone  for  you  that  we  weep,  it  is  for  the 
fate  of  mankind. 

Often — very  often,  has  the  widower  exclaimed,  '  O  death,  how 

cruel,  how  relentless  art  thou,  to  take  away  my  beloved  friend,  m 

the  spring  of  her  youth,  in  the  pride  of  her  strength,  and  the  bloom 

of  her  beauty.     If  thou  wilt  permit  her  once  more  to  return  te  my 

47 


1 


■■Mm 


370 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


abode,  my  gratitude  shall  never  cease.  I  uill  raise  up  my  voice 
continually  to  thank  the  Master  of  Life  for  so  excellent  a  boon.  1 
will  devote  my  time  to  study  how  I  can  best  promote  her  happi- 
ness, while  she  is  permitted  to  remain  ;  and  our  lives  shall  roll 
away  like  a  pleasant  stream  through  a  flowery  valley  '  Thus  also 
has  the  father  prayed  for  his  son,  the  mother  for  her  daughter,  the 
wife  for  her  husband,  the  sister  for  her  brother,  the  lover  for  his 
mistress,  the  friend  for  his  bosom  companion,  until  the  sounds  of 
mourning  and  the  cries  of  the  living  have  pierced  the  very  recesses 
of  the  dead.  Among  those  who  have  called  for  their  departed 
friends,  have  been  many  who  were  unkind  to  thera  while  living. 
These  have  not  failed  to  promise  the  most  endearing  conduct  should 
their  relatives  be  allowed  to  return. 

The  Great  Spirit  has,  at  length,  consented  to  make  a  trial  of 
their  sincerity,  by  sending  us  upon  the  earth  at  a  season  of  coldness 
and  general  scarcity.  He  has  done  this  to  sec  how  we  should  be 
received,  coming  as  strangers,  no  one  knowing  from  whither.  For 
it  was  necessary  that  this  very  severe  proof  should  be  exacted. 
Three  moons  were  allotted  us  to  make  the  trial,  and  if,  during  that 
time,  no  irksomeness  had  been  evinced,  no  angry  passions  excited 
at  the  place  where  we  should  take  up  our  abode,  all  those  in  the 
land  of  spirits,  whom  their  relatives  had  desired  to  return,  would 
have  been  restored.  We  had  already  passed  more  than  half  the 
time  assigned  to  us.  Had  your  wife  maintained,  those  feelings  of 
unmixed  generosit}  and  kindness  which  heretofore  marked  her 
conduct,  the  ransom  would  have  been  complete.  As  soon  as  the 
leaves  began  to  bud  our  mission  would  have  been  successfuly  termi- 
nated. But  it  is  now  too  late.  Our  trial  is  finished  ;  and  we  are 
called  to  the  pleasant  fields  whence  we  came.  It  is  not  for  those 
who  remain  there,  but  for  you  who  are  left  upon  earth,  that  we 
grieve. 

Brotlier, — It  is  proper  that  one  man  should  die  to  make  room  for 
another,  who  is  born  in  his  place.     Otherwise  the  world  would  be 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


371 


filled  to  overflowin<5.  It  is  just  that  the  goods,  gathered  hy  one, 
should  be  left  to  \»\  divided  hy  others  ;  for  in  the  land  of  .spirits 
there  is  no  want.  There,  there  is  neither  sorrow  nor  hunger,  death 
nor  pain.  Pleasant  fields  spread  before  the  '.-ye,  filled  with  game, 
and  with  birds  of  handsome  shapes.  Every  stream  has  good  fish 
in  it,  and  every  hill  is  crowned  with  groves  of  fruit  trees,  sweet 
and  pleasant  to  the  taste.  All  kinds  of  games  Lave  been  in- 
vented to  amuse,  and  instruments  to  play  upon.  It  is  not  here, 
brother,  but  there,  that  men  begin  truly  to  live.  It  is  no;  "or  those 
that  rejoice  through  those  pleasant  groves,  but  for  you  that  are  left 
behind,  that  we  weep. 

Brother, — Take  our  thanks  for  your  hospitable  treatment.  Re- 
gret net  our  departure.  Fear  not  evil.  Thy  luck  shall  still  be 
good  in  the  chase  ;  and  a  bright  sky  prevail  over  thy  lodge.  Mourn 
not  for  us,  for  no  corn  will  spring  up  from  tears  ;  but  join  our  lamen- 
tations for  the  fate  of  mankind." 

The  spirits  ceased  :  but  the  hunter  had  no  power  over  his  voice 
to  reply.  As  they  continued  their  address,  he  saw  a  light  gradual- 
ly beaming  from  their  faces,  and  a  blue  vapour  filled  the  whole  lodge 
with  an  unnatural  light.  As  soon  as  the  females  ceased,  darkness  gra- 
dually prevailed.  He  listened,  but  the  sobs  of  the  spirits  had  ceas- 
ed :  He  heard  the  door  of  his  tent  open  and  shut ;  but  he  never 
saw  more  of  his  mystertous  visitors.  But  he  found  the  success 
which  they  had  promised  him.  He  became  a  celebrated  hunter, 
and  never  wanted  for  any  thing  necessary  to  his  ease.  He  became 
a  father  of  many  children,  all  of  whom  grew  up  to  manhood  :  and 
health,  peace,  and  long  life,  were  the  rewards  of  his  hospitality. 

[The  foregoing  tales,  of  Indian  origin,  have  been  inserted  here, 
with  the  view  of  showing  that  the  genius  of  that  people  is  not  want- 
ing in  the  requisite  ability  to  bring  in  fiction,  for  the  purpose  of 
beautifying  and  illustrating  moral  principle,  and  to  fix  more  firmly 
their  customs  upon  the  youthful  mind,  by  associating  their  con- 
sequences with  the  happiness  of  another  and  invisible  state. 


M 

/'■"i 


•*am 


1 1   •[■"f  ii 


.^jXilM 


372 


AMERICAJf    ANTlQUlTtES 


In  this  respect,  do  they  not  also  exhibit  uu  affinity,  in  the  trait* 
of  imagination,  to  the  vivid  and  wildly  romantic  flights  of  the  Greek 
and  Roman  f  ctionists,  who  clothe  every  facvilty  of  tiie  wil,  every 
trait  of  their  thcolopy,  w  itii  all  the  liner  fibres  of  human  association, 
or  fouler  passions,  when  wars  raged,  with  infinite  jealousies,  deceit, 
aad  as!«assinatioris,  under  some  garlj  of  fiction  ;  instances  of  which, 
whether  Greek,  Roman,  or  Indian,  might  be  greatly  imiltiplied,  so 
as  to  show,  if  not  an  ancient  and  common  origin,  yet  an  highly 
Asiatic  imaginative  resemblance.. 


THE  INDIAN  PROniET'S  PREDIOTION. 


During  the  journey  of  Captain  Carver,  through  the  interior 
parts  of  the  Northwest,  he  was  detained  at  a  certain  place,  among 
the  KillistJTo  (ndiai!  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  on  ao- 
I'ount  of  wi''nnj;  to  meet  there  wi^b  a  company  of  fur  traders.  But 
froDi  some  circumstances,  iir»t  explained,  they  did  not  arrive  as  ex- 
pected. 

One  day,  says  Carver,  whilst  we  were  all  expressing  our  wishes 
for  this  desirable  event,  and  looking  from  an  eminence  in  hopes  of 
seeing  them  come  over  the  lake,  the  chief  priest  belonging  to  the 
band  of  Killistinoes,  told  us,  that  he  would  endeavour  to  obtain  a 
conference  with  the  Great  Spirit,  and  know  from  him  when  the 
traders  would  arrive.  I  paid  little  attention  to  this  declaration,  sup- 
posing that  it  would  be  productive  of  some  juggling  trick,  just  suf- 
ficiently covered  to  deceive  the  ignorant  Indians.  But  the  king  of 
that  tribe  telling  me  that  this  was  chiefly  undertaken  by  the  priest, 
to  alleviate  my  anxiety,  and  at  the  same  time  to  convince  me  how 
much  interest  he  had  with  the  Great  Spirit,  I  thought  it  necessary 
to  restrain  my  animadversions- on  his  design. 


A>D    DISCOVERIKS    IN    Tllli  WEST. 


373 


r,  in  liie  traits 
i  of  the  Greek 
he  fiO'il,  every 
\an  association, 
ilousie:^ ,  dcreit, 
nces  of  which, 
f  nuiltiplicd,  so 
yet  an  highly 


)N. 

igh  the   interior 

lin  place,  among 

ississippi,  on  ae- 

ur  traders.    But 

ot  arrive  as  ex- 

[jsing  our  wishes 
mce  in  hopes  of 
)elonging  to  the 
Ivour  to  obtain  a 
him  when  the 
declaration,  sup- 
trick,  just  suf- 
JBut  the  king  of 
n  by  the  priest, 
Invince  me  how 
;ht  it  necessary 


The  following  evening  was  fixed  lor  this  spiritual  conference. 
When  every  thing  had  been  properly  prepared,  tiie  king  came  to 
me  and  led  me  to  a  capacious  tent,  the  covering  of  which  was 
drawn  up,  ho  as  to  render  visibie  what  \.  as  tiansuoting  within.  Wc 
found  the  kiit  surrounded  by  a  |j,rcut  number  of  tlie  Indians,  but 
we  readily  gained  admission,  and  teated  ourselves  on  skins  laid  on 
the  ground  for  that  purpose. 

In  the  centre  I  observed  that  tht  re  was   -.i  place  of  an  oblong 
ihapp,  which  was  composed  of  stakes  stuck  ii'  round,  with  in- 

tervals between,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  clmsl  ullin,  lart;  •  enough 
to  contain  the  body  of  a  man.  These  were  of  a  middle  size,  and 
placed  at  such  a  distance  from  eaeh  other,  that  whatever  lay  within 
them  was  readily  to  be  discerned.  The  tent  \\as  perfectly  illumi- 
nated by  a  great  number  of  torches  mad  ■  of  splinters  cut  from  the 
pine  or  birch  tree  which  the  Indians  held  in  their  hands. 

In  a  few  mii;utes  the  priest  entered ;  when  an  amazing  large 
elk's  skin  being  spread  on  the  groimd,  just  at  my  feet,  he  laid  him- 
self down  upon  it,  after  having  stripped  himself  of  every  garment 
except  that  which  he  wore  close  about  his  middle.  Being  now 
prostrate  on  his  back,  he  first  laid  hold  of  one  side  of  the  skin,  and 
folded  it  over  him,  and  then  the  other  ;  leaving  only  his  head  un- 
covered. This  was  no  sooner  done,  than  two  of  the  young  men 
who  stood  by,  took  about  forty  yards  of  strong  cord,  made  also  of 
an  elk's  hide,  and  rolled  it  tight  round  his  body,  so  that  he  was  com- 
pletely sv.'athed  with  the  skin.  Being  thus  bound  up  like  an  Egyp- 
tian Mummy,  one  took  him  by  the  heels,  and  the  other  by  th  head, 
and  lifted  him  over  the  pales  into  the  enclosure.  I  could  also  now 
discern  him  as  plain  as  I  had  hitherto  done,  and  I  took  care  not  to 
turn  my  eyes  a  moment  from  the  ojbect  before  me, that  I  might  the 
more  readily  detect  the  artifice ;  for  such  I  doubted  not  but  that  it 
would  turn  out  to  be. 

The  priest  had  not  lain  in  this  situation  more  than  a  few  seconds, 
when  he  began  to  mutter.     This  he  continued  to  do  for  some  time 


m     m 


III  I   BIW 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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23  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WliSTH,N.Y.  I4SM 

(716)I72-4S03 


374 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


and  then  by  degrees  grew  louder  and  louder,  till  at  length  he  spoke 
articulately ;  however,  what  he  uttered  was  ip  such  a  mixed  jargon 
ot  the  Chippewa,  Ottawa,  and  Killistinoe  languages,  that  I  could 
not  understand  but  very  little  of  it.  Having  continued  in  this  tone 
for  a  considerable  while,  he  at  last  exerted  his  voice  to  its  utmost 
pitch,  sometimes  raving,  and  sometimes  praying,  till  he  had  worked 
himself  into  such  an  agitation,  that  he  foamed  at  his  mouth. 

After  having  remained  near  three  quarters  of  an  hour  in  the  place, 
and  continued  his  vociferation  with  unabated  vigour,  he  seemed  to 
be  quite  exhausted,  and  remained  speechless.  But  in  an  instant  he 
sprung  upon  his  feet,  notwithstanding  at  the  time  he  was  put  in,  it 
appeared  impossible  for  him  to  move  either  his  legs  or  arms,  and 
shaking  off  his  covering,  as  quick  as  if  the  bands  with  which  it 
had  been  bound  were  burned  asunder,  he  began  to  address  those 
who  stood  around,  in  a  firm  and  audible  voice.  "  My  brothers," 
said  he,  "  the  Great  Spirit  has  deigned  to  hold  a  Talk  with  his  ser- 
vant, at  my  earnest  request.  He  has  not,  indeed,  told  me  when  the 
persons  we  expect,  will  be  here  ;  but  to-morrow,  soon  after  the  sun 
has  reached  his  highest  point  in  the  heavens,  a  canoe  will  arrive, 
and  the  people  in  that  will  inform  us  when  the  traders  will  come." 

Having  said  this,  he  stepped  out  of  the  enclosure,  and  after  he 
had  put  on  his  robes,  dismissed  the  assembly.  I  own  I  was  greatly 
astonished  at  what  I  had  seen ;  but  as  I  observed  that  every  eye  in 
the  company  was  fixed  on  me  with  a  view  to  discover  my  senti- 
ments, I  carefully  concealed  every  emotion. 

The  next  day  the  sun  shone  bright,  and  long  before  noon  all  the 
Indians  were  gathered  together  on  the  eminence  that  overlooked 
the  lake.  The  old  king  came  to  me  and  asked  me,  whether  I  had 
80  much  confidence  in  what  the  priest  had  foretold,  as  to  join  his 
people  on  the  hill,  and  wait  for  the  completion  of  it ;  I  told  him  I 
was  at  a  loss  what  opinion  to  form  of  the  prediction,  but  that  I  would 
readily  attend  him.  On  this  we  walked  together  to  the  place  where 
the  others  were  assembled.     Every  eye  was  again  fixed  by  turns 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST- 


376 


on  me  and  on  the  lake ;  when  just  as  the  sun  had  reached  his  ze- 
nith, agreeably  to  what  the  priest  had  foretold,  a  canoe  came  round 
a  point  of  land  about  a  league  distant.  The  Indians  no  sooner  be- 
held it,  than  they  set  up  an  universal  shout,  and  by  their  looks  seem- 
ed to  triumijh  in  the  interest  their  priest  thus  evidently  had  with 
the  Great  Spirit. 

In  less  than  an  hour  the  canoe  reached  the  shore,  when  I  attend- 
ed the  king  and  chiefs  to  receive  those  who  were  on  board.  As 
soon  as  the  men  were  landed,  we  walked  all  together  to  the  king's 
tent,  when,  according  to  their  invariable  custom,  we  began  to 
smoke ;  and  this  we  did,  notwithstanding  our  impatience  to  know 
the  tidings  they  brought,  without  asking  any  questions ;  for  the  In- 
dians are  the  most  deliberate  people  in  the  world.  However,  after 
some  trivial  conversation,  the  king  inquired  of  them,  whether  they 
had  seen  any  thing  of  the  traders  ?  The  men  replied  that  they  had 
parted  from  them  a  few  days  before,  and  that  they  proposed  being 
here  the  second  day  from  the  present.  They  accordingly  arrived 
at  that  time  greatly  to  our  satisfaction,  but  more  particularly  so  to 
that  of  the  Indians,  who  found  by  this  event  the  importance  both 
of  their  priest  and  of  their  nation,  greatly  augmented  in  the  sight 
of  a  stranger. 

* 

This  story  I  acknowledge  appears  to  carry  with  it  marks  of  great 
credulity  in  the  relater.  But  no  one  is  less  tinctured  with  that 
weakness  than  myself.  The  circumstances  of  it,  I  own,  are  of  a 
very  extraordinary  nature  ;  however,  as  I  can  voich  for  their  being 
free  from  either  exaggeration  or  misrepresentation,  being  myself 
a  cool  and  dispassionate  observer  of  them  all,  I  thought  it  necessary 
to  give  them  to  the  public.  And  this  I  do  without  wisliing  to  mis- 
lead the  judgment  of  my  readers,  or  to  make  any  superstitious  im- 
pressions on  their  minds,  but  leaving  them  to  draw  from  it  what 
conclusions  they  please 


h> 


376 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


A  STRATAGEM  OF  PONTIAC  THIO  MIAMI  CHIEF,    TO  MASSA 
,  CUE  THE  GARRISON  AT  DETROIT. 


In  the  year  17G2,  in  the  French  war  with  the  English,  Pontiac, 
a  powerful  chief  of  the  Miamies,  and  head  wrrier  of  that  tribe, 
had  been  a  steady  friend  to  the  French,  and  continued  his  invete- 
racy to  the  English,  even  after  the  peace  had  been  concluded  be- 
tween these  two  nations. 

Unwilling  to  put  an  end  to  the  depredations  he  had  been  so  long 
engaged  in,  he  collected  an  army  of  confederate  Indians,  consisting 
of  several  fierce  tribes  or  nations,  with  an  intention  to  renew  the 
war.  However,  instead  of  openly  attacking  the  English  settle- 
ments, he  laid  a  scheme  for  taking  by  surprise  those  forts  on  the 
extremeties  which  they  had  lately  gained  possession  of. 

To  get  into  his  hands  Detroit,  a  place  of  great  consequence,  and 
well  guarded,  required  great  resolution,  and  the  most  consummate 
art.  He  of  course  took  the  management  of  this  expedition  on  him- 
self, and  drew  near  it  with  the  principal  body  of  his  troops.  He 
was,  however,  prevented  from  carrying  his  design  into  execution, 
by  an  apparently  trivial  and  unforeseen  circumstance.  On  such 
does  the  fate  of  mighty  empires  frequently  depend ! 

The  town  of  Detroit,  when  Pontiac  formed  his  plan,  was  garri- 
soned by  about  three  hundred  men  commanded  by  Major  Gladwyn, 
a  gallant  officer.  As  at  that  time  every  appearance  of  war  was  at 
an  end,  and  the  Indians  seemed  to  be  on  a  friendly  footing,  Pontiac 
approached  the  Fort  without  exciting  any  suspicions  in  the  breast 
of  the  governour  or  the  inhabitants.  He  encamped  at  a  little  distance 
from  it,  and  sent  to  let  the  commandant  know  that  he  was  come  to 
trade ;  and  being  desirous  of  brightening  the  chain  of  peace  be- 
tween the  English  and  his  nation,  desirt;d  that  he  and  his  chiefs 
might  be  admitted  to  hold  a  council  with  him.      The  goveruour 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST 


»77 


still  unsuspicious,  and  not  in  the  least  doubting  the  sincerity  of  the 
Indians,  granted  their  general's  request,  and  fixed  on  the  next  morn- 
ing for  their  reception. 

The  evening  of  that  day,  an  Indian  woman  who  had  been  em- 
ployed by  Major  Gladwyn,  to  make  him  a  pair  of  Indian  shoes,  out 
of  curious  elk  skin,  brought  them  home.  The  Major  was  so  plea- 
sed with  them,  that  intending  these  as  a  present  for  a  friend,  he  or- 
dered her  to  take  the  remainder  back,  and  make  it  into  others  for- 
himself.  He  then  directed  his  servant  to  pay  her  for  those  she  had 
done,  and  dismissed  her.  The  woman  went  to  the  door  that  led  to 
the  street  but  no  further ;  she  there  loitered  about  as  if  she  had  not 
finished  the  business  on  which  she  came.  A  servant  at  length  ob- 
served her,  and  asked  her  why  she  staid  there  ;  she  gave  him  how- 
ever, no  answer. 

Some  short  time  after,  the  governour  himself  saw  her ;  and  in- 
quired of  his  servant  what  occasioned  her  stay.  Not  being  able  to 
get  a  satisfactory  answer,  he  ordered  the  woman  to  be  called  in. 
When  she  came  into  his  presence  he  desired  to  know  what  was 
the  reason  of  her  loitering  about  and  not  hastening  home  before  the 
gates  were  shut,  that  she  might  complete  in  due  time  the  work  he 

had  given  h'.;r  to  do.  She  told  him,  after  much  hesitation,  that  as 
he  had  always  behaved  with  great  goodness  towards  her,  she  was 
unwilling  to  take  away  the  remainder  of  the  skin,  because  he  put 
so  great  a  value  upon  it ;  and  yet  had  not  been  able  to  prevail  upon 
herself  to  tell  him  so.  He  then  asked  her,  why  she  was  more  re* 
luctant  to  do  so  now,  than  she  had  been  when  she  made  the  former 
pair.  With  increased  reluctance  she  answered,  that  she  never 
should  be  able  to  bring  them  back. 

His  curiosity  being  now  excited,  he  insisted  on  her  disclosing  to 
him  the  secret  that  seemed  to  be  struggling  in  her  bosom  for  utter- 
tnce.  At  last,  on  receiving  a  promise  that  the  intelligence  she  was 
about  to  give  him  should  not  turn  to  her  prejudice ;  and  that  if  it 

Appeared  to  be  beneficial,  she  should  be  rewarded  for  it,  she  inform" 

48 


r 
M  i 


iMtimtiam 


378  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 

cd  him,  that  at  the  couucil  to  be  held  with  the  Indians  the  fullow- 
ing  day,  Pontiac  ar.d  his  chiefs  intended  to  murder  him :  and,  after 
'having  massacred  the  garrison  and  inhabitants,  to  plunder  the  town. 

That  for  this  purpose  all  the  chiefs  who  were  to  be  admitted  into 
the  council  room,  had  cut  their  guns  short,  so  that  they  could  con- 
ceal them  under  their  blankets ;  with  which,  at  a  signal  given  by 
their  general,  on  delivering  the  belt,  they  were  all  to  rise  up,  and 
instantly  to  fire  on  him  and  his  attendants.  Having  effected  this, 
they  were  immediately  to  rush  into  the  town,  where  they  would 
find  themselves  supported  by  a  great  number  of  the  warriors,  that 
were  to  come  into  it  during  the  sitting  of  the  council,  under  pre- 
tence of  trading,  but  privately  armed  in  the  same  manner.  Having 
gained  from  the  woman  every  necessary  particular  relative  to  the 
plot,  and  also  of  the  means  by  which  she  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
them,  he  dismissed  her  with  injunctions  of  secrecy,  and  a  promise 
of  fulfilling  on  his  part  with  punctuality,  the  engagements  he  had 
entered  into. 

The  intelligence  the  governour  had  just  received,  gave  him  great 
uneasiness ;  and  he  immediately  consulted  the  officer  who  was  next 
to  hira  in  command,  on  the  subject.  But  that  gentleman  consider- 
ing the  information  as  a  story  invented  for  some  artful  purjwses.  ad- 
vised him  to  pay  no  attention  to  it.  This  conclusion,  however,  had 
happily  no  weight  with  him.  He  thought  it  prudent  to  conclude 
it  to  be  true,  till  he  was  convinced  it  was  not  so ;  and  therefore, 
without  revealing  his  suspicions  to  any  other  person,  he  took  every 
needful  precaution  that  the  lime  would  admit  of.  He  walked 
round  the  fort  during  the  whole  night,  and  saw  himself  that  every 
sentinel  was  on  dvity,  and  every  weapon  of  defence  in  proper  order. 

As  he  traversed  the  ramparts  which  lay  nearest  to  the  Indian 
camp,  he  heard  them  in  higb  festivity,  and  little  imagining  that 
their  plot  was  discovered,  probably  pleasing  themselves  with  the 
anticipation  of  their  success.     As  soon  as  the  morning  dawned,  he 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN    THE   WEST. 


379 


ordered  all  the  garrison  uiidor  arms ;  and  then  imparting  liis  appre- 
hensions to  a  few  of  tlie  principal  oHicers,  gave  them  such  directions 
as  he  thought  necessary. 

At  the  same  time  he  sent  round  to  all  the  traders,  to  inform  them 
that  as  it  was  expected  a  great  number  of  Indians  would  enter  the 
town  that  day,  who  might  be  inclined  to  plunder,  he  desired  they 
would  have  their  arms  ready,  and  repel  every  attempt  of  that  kind. 

About  ten  o'clock,  Poutiac  and  his  chiefs  arrived  ;  and  were  con- 
ducted to  the  council  chamber,  where  the  governour  and  his  prin- 
cipal officers,  each  with  pistols  inlheir  belts,  awaited  his  arrival. 
As  the  Indians  passed  on,  they  could  not  help  observing  that  a  great- 
er number  of  troops  than  usual  were  drawn  up  on  the  parade,  or 
inarching  about.  No  sooner  were  they  entered,  and  seated  on  the 
skins  prepared  for  them,  than  Pontiac  asked  the  governour  on  what 
occasion  liis  young  men,  meaning  the  soldiers,  were  thus  draw.*  up, 
and  parading  the  streets.  He  received  for  answer,  that  it  was  only 
intended  to  keep  them  perfect  in  their  exercise. 

The  Indian  chief  warrior  now  began  his  speech,  which  contain- 
ed the  strongest  professions  of  friendship  and  good  will  towards  the 
English ;  and  when  he  came  to  the  delivery  of  the  belt  of  wam- 
pum, the  particular  mode  of  which,  according  to  the  woman's  in- 
formation, was  to  be  the  signal  for  his  chiefs  to  fire,  the  governour 
and  all  his  chiefs  drew  their  swords  half  way  out  of  their  scabbards  ; 
and  the  soldiers  at  the  same  instant  made  a  clattering  with  their 
arms  before  the  doors,  which  had  been  purposely  left  open.  Pon- 
tiac, though  one  of  the  boldest  of"  men,  immediately  turned  pale, 
and  trembled :  and  instead  of  giving  the  belt  in  the  manner  propo- 
sed, delivered  it  according  to  the  usual  way.  His  chiefs  who  had 
impatiently  expected  the  signal,  looked  at  each  other  with  astonish- 
ment, but  continued  quiet,  waiting  the  result. 

The  governour  in  his  turn  made  a  speech  ;  but  instead  of  thank- 
ing the  great  warrior  for  the  professions  of  friendship  he  had  just 
uttered,  he  accused  him  of  being  a  traitor.      He  told  him  that  the 


.  1^: 


mrffci 


380 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIF.8 


English,  who  knew  every  thing,  were  convinced  of  his  treachery 
and  villanous  designs ;  and  as  a  proof  that  they  were  well  acquain- 
ted with  his  most  secret  thoughts  and  intentions,  he  stepped  towards 
the  Indian  chief  that  sat  nearest  to  him,  and  drawing  aside  his 
blanket,  discovered  the  shortened  firelocJc.  This  entirely  discon- 
certed the  Indians,  and  frustrated  their  design. 

He  then  continued  to  tell  them,  that  as  he  had  given  his  word  at 
the  time  they  deiiied  an  audience,  that  their  persons  should  be  safe, 
he  would  hold  his  promise  inviolable,  though  they  so  little  deserved 
it.  However,  he  advised  them  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  out 
of  the  fort,  lest  his  young  men  on  being  acquainted  with  their  trea- 
cherous purposes,  should  cut  every  one  of  them  to  pieces. 

Pontiac  endeavoure  1  to  contradict  the  accusation,  and  to  make 
excuses  for  his  suspicious  conduct ;  but  the  governour,  satisfied  of 
the  falsity  of  his  protestations,  would  not  listen  to  him.  The  In- 
dians immediately  left  the  fort,  but  instead  of  being  sensible  of  the 
governour's  generous  behaviour,  they  threw  off"  the  mask,  and  the 
next  day  made  a  regular  attack  upon  it,  which  lasted  a  whole  year 
before  the  Indians  were  induced  to  a  peace. 


A  REMARKABLE  SOCIETY  FOUND  AMONG  THE  NAUDOWESSIE 

INDIANS. 

From  the  Travels  of  Carver,  in  the  north-west,  we  extract  the 
following  description  of  the  War  Dance  and  the  Black  Dance.  In 
the  latter  he  became  acquainted  with  the  method  of  initiation  into 
a  very  singular  society,  among  those  nations. 

The  War  Dance  (says  Carver)  which  they  use  both  before  they 
set  out  on  their  war  parties,  and  on  their  return  from  them,  strikes 
terror  into  strangers.  It  is  performed,  as  the  others,  amidst  a  circle 
of  the  warriors ;  a  chief  generally  begins  it,  who  moves  from  the 
right  to  the  left,  singing  at  the  same  time,  both  his  own  exploits, 


INO   DISCOVERIES   IN    THE  WEST. 


381 


jachery 
cqunin- 
towards 
iide  his 
discon- 

word  at 
be  safe, 
leserved 
way  out 
leir  trea- 

to  make 
itisfied  of 
The  In- 
)le  of  the 
:,  and  the 
hole  year 


3WESSIE 

xtract  the 
ince.  In 
iation  into 

jfore  they 
),  strikes 

1st  a  circle 

from  the 

eKploitfi, 


and  those  of  his  ancestors.  When  he  ha?  concluded  his  account  of 
any  memorable  action,  he  gives  a  violent  blow  with  his  war  club, 
against  a  post  that  is  fixed  in  the  ground,  near  the  centre  of  the  as- 
sembly, for  this  purpose. 

Every  one  dances  in  his  turn,  and  r.'capitulatcs  the  wondrous 
deeds  of  his  family,  till  they  all  at  last  join  in  the  dance.     Then  it 
becomes  truly  alarming  to  any  stranger  that  happens  to  be  among 
them,  as  they  throw  themseves  into  every  horrible  and  terrifying 
posture  that  can  be  imagined,  rehearsing  at  the  same  time  the  parts 
they  expect  to  act  against  their  enemies  in  the  field.     During  this 
they  hold  their  sharp  knives  in  their  hands,  with  which,  as  they 
whirl  about,  they  are  every  moment  in  danger  of  cutting  each  oth- 
er's throats  ;  and  did  they  not  shun  the  threatened  n.ischief  with 
inconceivable  dexferity,  it  could  not  be  avoided.    By  these  motions 
they  intend  to  represent  the  manner  in  whir;h  they  lull,  scalp,  and 
take  their  prisoners.     To  heighten  the  scene,  they  set  up  the  same 
hideous  yells,  cries,  and  warvv'hoops  they  use  in  time  of  action  ;  so 
that  it  is  impossible  to  consider  them  in  any  other  light  than  as  an 
assembly  of  demons. 

I  have  frequently  joined  in  this  dance  with  them,  but  if  .  oon 
ceased  to  be  an  amusement  to  me,  as  I  could  not  lay  aside  my  '  p- 
prehensions  of  receiving  some  dreadful  wound,  that  from  the  vio- 
lence of  their  gestures  must  have  proved  mortal. 

I  found  that  the  nations  to  tlie  westward  of  the  Mississispi,  and 
on  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior,  still  continue  to  make  use  of  the 
Pawwaw  or  Black  Dance.  The  people  of  the  colonies  tell  a  thou- 
sand ridiculous  stories  of  the  devil  being  raised  in  tliis  dance  by  the 
Indians.  But  they  allow  that  thii  was  in  former  times,  and  is  now 
nearly  extinct  among  those  who  live  adjacent  to  the  European  set- 
tlements. However,  I  discovered  that  it  was  still  used  in  the  in- 
terior parts  ;  and  though  I  did  not  actually  see  the  devil  raised  by 
it,  I  was  witness  to  some  scenes  that  could  only  be  performed  by 
such  as  dealt  with  him,  or  were  very  expert  and  dexterous  jug- 
glers. 


If; 

ii 

i 


IH 


ill 


III 


!i  I 


38a 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


Whilst  I  was  among  the  Naudowessies,  a  dance,  which  they 
thus  termed,  was  performed.  Hefore  the  dance  began,  one  of  the 
Indians  was  admitted  into  a  society  which  they  denominated  Wa- 
kon-Kitchewah,  that  is,  the  Friendly  Society  of  the  Spirit.  This 
society  is  comj)oscd  of  persons  of  both  sexes,  but  such  only  can  be 
admitted  into  it,  as  are  of  unexceptionable  character,  and  who  re- 
ceive the  approbation  of  the  whole  body.  To  this  admission  suc- 
ceeeed  the  Paw-waw  Dance,  (in  which  I  saw  nothing  that  could 
give  rise  to  the  reports  I  had  heard,)  and  the  whole,  according  to 
their  usual  custom,  concluded  with  a  grand  feast. 

The  initiation  being  attended  with  some  extraordinary  circum- 
stances, which,  as  I  have  before  observed,  must  be  either  the  ef- 
fect of  magic,  or  of  amazing  dexterity,  I  shall  give  a  particular  ac- 
count of  the  whole  procedure.  It  was  performed  at  the  time  of  the 
new  moon,  in  a  place  appropriated  to  the  purpose,  near  the  centre 
of  thtir  camp,  that  would  contain  about  two  hundred  people  Be- 
ing a  stranger,  and  on  all  occasions  treated  by  them  with  great 
civility,  I  was  invited  to  see  the  ceremony,  and  placed  close  to 
rails  of  the  enclosure. 

About  twelve  o'clock  they  began  to  assemble  ;  when  the  sun 
shone  bright,  which  they  considered  as  a  good  omen,  for  they  never 
by  choice  hold  any  of  their  public  meetings,  unless  the  sky  be  clear 
and  unclouded.  A  great  number  of  chiefs  lirst  appeared,  who  were 
dressed  in  their  best  apparel  ;  and  after  them  came  the  head  war- 
rior, clad  in  a  long  robe  of  rich  furs,  that  trailed  on  the  ground,  at- 
tended by  a  retinue  of  fifteen  or  twenty  persons,  painted  and  dressed 
in  the  gayest  manner-  Next  followed  the  wives  of  such  as  had 
been  already  admitted  into  the  society  ;  and  in  the  rear  a  confused 
heap  of  the  lower  ranks,  all  contributing  as  much  as  lay  in  their 
power  to  make  the  appearance  grand  and  showy. 

When  the  assembly  was  seated,  and  silence  proclaimed,  one  of 
the  principal  chiefs  arose,  and  in  a  short  but  masterly  speech,  in- 
formed the  audience  of  the  occasion  of  their  meeting.  He  acquaint- 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST. 


383 


ed  tliem  that  one  of  their  young  men  wislied  to  bo  admitted  into 
their  society  ;  and  taking  him  hy  the  hand  presented  him  to  their 
view,  asking  them,  at  the  same  time,  whether  they  had  any  objec- 
tion to  his  becoming  one  of  their  community. 

No  objection  being  made,  the  young  candidate  was  placed  in  the 
centre,  and  four  of  their  chiefs  took  their  stations  close  to  him  ;  af- 
ter exhorting  him,  by  turns,  not  to  faint  under  the  operations  he 
was  about  to  go  through,  but  to  behave  like  an  Indian  and  a  man, 
two  of  them  took  hold  of  his  arms,  and  caused  him  to  kneel  ;  an- 
other placed  himself  behind  hira,  so  as  to  receive  him  when  he 
fell,  and  the  last  of  the  four  r.'tired  to  the  distance  of  about  twelve 
feet  from  him  exactly  in  front. 

This  disposition  being  completed,  the  chief  then  stood  before  the 
kneeling  candidate,  began  to  speak  to  him  with  an  audible  voice. 
He  told  him  that  he  himself  was  now  agitated  by  the  same  spirit 
which  lie  should  in  a  few  moments  communicate  to  him  ;  that  it 
would  strike  him  dead,  but  that  he  would  instantly  be  restored 
again  to  life  j  to  this  he  added,  that  the  communication  however 
terrifying,  was  a  necessary  introduction  to  the  advantages  enjoyed 
by  the  community  into  which  he  was  on  the  point  of  being  ad- 
mitted. 

As  hp  spoke  this,  he  appeared  to  be  greatly  agitated  ;  till  at  last 
his  emotions  became  so  violent,  that  his  countenance  was  distorted, 
and  his  whole  frame  convulsed.  At  this  juncture  he  threw  some- 
thing that  appeared  both  in  shape  and  colour  like  a  small  bean,  at 
the  young  man,  which  seemed  to  enter  his  mouth,  and  he  instantly 
fell  as  motionless  as  if  he  had  been  sliot.  The  chief  that  was  plac- 
ed behind  hira  received  him  in  his  arms,  and,  by  the  assistance  of 
the  other  two,  laid  hira  on  the  ground  to  all  appearance  bereft  of 
life. 

Having  done  this,  they  immediately  began  to  rub  his  limbs,  and 
to  strike  him  on  the  back,  giving  him  such,  blow^,  as  seemed  more  • 
calculated  to  still  the  quick,  than  to  raise  the  dead.     During  these 


i 


i' 


' 


384 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


extraordinary  applications,  the  speaker  continued  his  harangue,  de- 
siring the  spectators  not  to  be  surprised,  or  to  despair  of  the  young 
man's  recovery,  as  his  present  inanimate  situation  proceeded  only 
from  the  forcible  operation  of  the  spirit,  on  faculties  that  had  hither- 
to been  unused  to  inspirations  of  this  I.inJ. 

The  candidate  lay  several  minutes  \vithout  sense  or  motion  ; 
but  at  length,  after  receiving  many  violent  blows,  he  began  to 
discover  some  symptoms  of  returning  life.  These,  however,  were 
attended  with  strong  convulsions,  and  an  apparent  obstruction  in 
his  throat.  But  thoy  were  soon  at  an  end ;  for  having  discharged 
from  his  mouth  the  bean,  or  whatever  it  was  that  the  chief  had 
thrown  at  him,  but  which,  on  the  closest  inspection,  I  had  not  per- 
ceived to  enter  it,  he  soon  after  appeared  to  be  tolerably  recovered. 

This  part  of  the  ceremony  being  happily  eileeted,  tne  officiating 
chiefs  disrobed  him  of  the  clothes  he  had  usually  worn,  and  put  on 
him  a  set  of  apparv^l  entirely  new.  When  he  was  dressed,  the 
speaker  once  more  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  presented  him  to  tbe 
society  as  a  regular  and  thoroughly  initiated  member,  exerting  them, 
«t  the  same  time,  to  give  him  such  necessary  assistance,  as,  being 
a  young  member,  he  might  stand  in  need  of.  He  then  also  charged 
the  newly  elected  brother  to  receive  with  kumility,  and  to  follow 
with  punctuality  the  advice  of  his  elder  brethren.  « 

All  those  who  had  been  admitted  within  the  rails,  nov/  formed  a 
circle  around  their  new  brother,  and  the  music  striking  up,  the 
gieat  chief  sung  a  song,  celebrating  as  usual  their  martial  exjploits. 


THE  ESQUIMEAUX  WIZARD. 

We  have  the  following  fiom  the  Narrative  Journal  of  Captain 
G.  F.  Lyon,  who  accompanied  Captain  Parry,  on  his  voyage  of 
discovery  in  pursuit  of  a  Northwest^passage  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  in  the  year  1821. 


Klv 


'.;■.;, 'V . 


ANU    DI8C0VLRIES    IN    THE    WEST- 


385 


*.; 


Tlic  K:»:(|uiiacuux,  like  all  uthcr  »u\agcs,  (Mssesii  a  large  share  of 
superstilii>i» ;  but,  snys  Lyon,  our  iinpcriect  knowledge  of  their  lan- 
guage necessarily  prevented  our  tracing  any  of  their  ceremonies  to 
tlieir  source  :  I  shall,  therefore,  only  state  such  peculiar  supersti- 
tions and  customs  as  I  myself  observed,  though  without  pretending 
to  order  or  connexion. 

Amongst  our  Igloolik  acquaintances  were  two  female  and  a  few 
mule  wizzards,  of  whom  the  principal  was  Tooleniak.  This  per- 
sonage was  cunning  and  intelligent,  and,  whether  professionally,  or 
from  his  skill  in  the  chase,  but  perhaps  from  both  reasons,  >vas  con- 
sidered by  all  the  tribe  as  a  man  of  importance.  As  I  invariably 
paid  great  deference  fo  his  opinion  on  all  subjects  connected  with 
his  calling,  he  freely  communicated  to  me  his  superior  knowledge, 
and  did  not  scrupk;  to  allow  of  my  being  present  at  his  interviews 
with  Tornga,  or  his  patron  spirit.  In  consequence  of  this,  I  took 
an  early  opportunity  of  requesting  my  friend  to  exhibit  his  skill  in 
my  cabin.  His  old  wife  was  with  him,  and  by  much  flattery,  and 
un  accidental  display  of  a  glittering  knife  and  some  beads,  she  as- 
assisted  me  in  obtaining  my  request.  All  light  excluded,  our  sor- 
cew;r  began  chanting  to  his  wife  with  great  vehemence,  and  she  in 
return  answered  by  singing  the  Amnu-aya,  which  was  not  discon- 
tinued during  the  whole  ceremony.  As  far  as  I  could  hear,  he 
aftenvards  began  turning  himself  rapidly  round,  and  in  a  loud  pow- 
erful voice  vociferated  for  Tornga  with  great  impatience,  at  the 
same  lime  blowing  and  snorting  like  a  Walrus.  His  noise,  impa- 
tience, and  agitation  increasing  every  moment,  and  he  at  length 
seated  himself  on  the  deck,  varying  his  tones,  and  making  a  rust- 
ling with  his  clothes. 

Suddenly  the  voice  seemed  smothered,  and  was  so  managed  as 
to  sound  as  if  rctreatinp;  beneath  the  deck,  each  moment  becoming 
more  distant,  and  ultimately  giving  the  idea  of  being  many  feet  be- 
low the  cabin,  when  it  ceased  entirely.  His  wife  now,  in  answer 
to  my  queries,  informed  me  very  seriously  that  he  had  dived,  and 


49 


■■'I'i?'- 


-"•^-mrr," 


■I 


-J 


386 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


that  he  would  send  up  Tornga.     Accordingly,  in  about  halt'  a  mi- 
nute, a  distant  blowing  was  heard  very  slowly  approaching,  and  a 
voice  which  differed  from  that  we  at  ftrst  had  heard,  was  at  times 
mingled  with  the  blowing,  until  at  length  both  sounds  became  dis- 
tinct, and  the  old  woman  informed  me  that  Tornga  had  come  to 
answer  my  questions.     I  accordingly  asked  several  questions  of  the 
sagacious  spirit,  to  each  of  which  inquiries  I  received  an  answer 
by  two  loud  slaps  on  the  deck,  which  I  was  given  to  understand 
were  favourable.     A  very  hollow,  yet  powerful  voice,   certainly 
much  different  from  the  tones  of  Toolemak,  now  chanted  for  some 
time,  and  a  strange  jumble  of  hisses,  groans,  shouts,  and  gabblings 
like  a  turkey,  succeeded  in  rapid  order.     The  old  woman  sang  with 
increased  energy,  and,  as  I  took  it  for  granted  that  this  was  all  in- 
tended to  astonish  the  Kabloona,  I  cried  repeatedly  that  I  was  very 
much  afraid.     This,_as  I  expected,  added  fuel  to  the  fire,  until  the 
poor  immortal,  exhausted  by  its  own  might,  asked  leave  to  retire. 
The  voice  gradually  sank  from  our  hearing  as  at  first,  and  a  very 
indistinct  hissing  succeeded  ;  in  its  advance,  it  sounded  like  the 
tone  produced  by  the  wind  on  the  bass  chord  of  an  iEolian  harp  ; 
this  was  soon  changed  to   a  rapid  hiss  like  that  of  a  rocket,  and 
Toolemak  with  a  yell  announced  his  return.     I  had  held  my  breath 
at  the  first  distant  hissing,  and  twice  exhausted  myself,  yet  our  con- 
juror did  not  once  respire,  and  even  his  returning  and  powerful 
yell  was  uttered  without  a  previous  stop  or  respiration  of  air, 

hi^ht  being  admitted,  our  wizard,  as  might  be  expected,  was  in 
a  profuse  pehspiration,  and  certainly  much  exhausted  by  his  exer- 
tions, which  had  continued  for  at  least  half  an  hour.  We  now 
observed  a  couple  of  bunches,  each  consisting  of  two  stripes  of 
white  deerskin  and  a  long  piece  of  sinew,  attached  to  the  back  of 
his  coat.  These  we  had  not  seen  before,  and  were  informed  that 
they  had  been  sown  on  by  the  Tornga  while  he  was  below. 

I  have  already  said  that  Toolemak's  spirit  with  whom  he  confer- 
red on  this  occasion  was  a  female  j  but  he  has  on  the  whole  no 


ngf  ■    ■ 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


357 


ripes  of 

)ack  of 

led  that 

I  coiifer- 
lole  no 


less  than  ten  superior  heings,  and  a  countless  host  of  minor  spirits. 
With  the  first  ten  he  holds  constant  communion,  and  transacts  with 
them  all  business  relative  to  the  healtli  or  worldly  welfare  of  those 
who  consult  and  pay  him.  The  above  important  personages  are 
thus  named  :  Ay-willi-ay-oo,  or  Nooli-ay-oo,  the  female  spirit  of 
whose  conversation  I  have  spoken  ;  her  father  Nappa-yook,  or  An- 
now-ta-lig,  of  whom  more  anon  ;  Pami-uoo-li,  a  male  spirit  of  con- 
siderable importance  ;  Oo-took,  or  Oona-lie,  a  male  of  a  gigantic 
size  ;  Ka-mick,  a  female  ;  Anuig-yoo-a  and  Atta-na-ghiooa,  two 
brothers,  and  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  chief  patrons  of  the  country 
about  Amityook  ;  Puck-im-na,  a  female,  who  lives  in  a  fine  coun- 
try, far  in  the  west,  and  who  is  the  immediate  potectress  of  deer, 
which  animals  roam  in  immense  herds  round  her  dwelling  ;  a  large 
bear,  which  lives  on  the  ice  at  sea,  and  is  possessed  of  vast  infor- 
mation— he  speaks  like  a  man,  and  often  meets  with  and  coverses 
with  the  initiated  on  their  hunting  excursions  ;  and  the  last  is 
Eeghak,  a  male,  of  whom  I  can  obtain  no  information.     Out  of  this 

host  of  superior  spirits  the  two  first  are  pre-eminent,  although  the 
female  is  decidedly  the  most  important  in  the  eyes  of  the  Esqui- 
meaux  generally,  as  well  as  in  the  opinion  of  her  favorite  votary 
Toolemak.  This  lady  is  in  the  first  place  the  mother,  protectress, 
and  not  unfrequently  the  monopolist  of  sea  animals,  which  she 
sometimes  veiy  wantonly  confines  below,  and  by  that  means  causes 
a  general  scarcity  in  the  upper  world.  When  this  is  the  case,  the 
annatko  is  persuaded  to  pay  her  a  visit,  and  attempt  the  release  of 
the  animals  on  which  his  tribe  subsist.  I  know  not  what  ceremo- 
nies he  performs  at  the  first  part  of  the  interview  ;  but  as  the  spell 
by  which  the  animals  are  held  lies  in  the  hand  of  the  enchantress, 
the  conjuror  makes  some  bold  attempts  to  cut  it  off,  and,  according 

to  his  success,  plenty,  more  or  less,  is  obtained.     If  deprived  of  her 
nails,  the  bears  obtain  their  freedom  ;  amputation  of  the  first  joint 

liberates  the  netyek,  or  small  seal ;  while  that  of  the  second  loosens 

the  ooghiook,  or  larger  kind.     Should  the  knuckles  be  detatched, 


388 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


whole  herds  of  walrus  rise  to  the  suiface  ;  and  should  tho  adventu ' 
rous  annatko  succeed  in  i-uttiiij^  through  the  lower  part  of  the  meta- 
carpal bones,  the  monstrous  whales  are  disentrhalled,  and  delightfully 
join  the  other  creatures  of  the  deep.    In  addition  to  her  power  over 
animals  Aywilliayoo  has  a  boundless  conamand  over  the  livea  and 
destinies  of  mankind.     Bad  men  and  women  are  punished  by  her 
in  a  manner  I  shall  presently  describe  ;  and  her  own  sex  are  alTlict- 
ed  with  many  disorders,  and  sometimes  killed,  in  consequence  of 
their  being  careless  in  tae  regulation  of  their  diet  at  certain  periods, 
and  otherwise  neglecting  the  established  customs ;  all  women  there- 
fore profess  the  utmost  dread  of  this  female  avenger,  but  at  the  same 
time  acknowledge  that  she  is  very  good.     Her  house  is  exceedingly 
fine,  and  very  like  a  kabloona  looking-glass ;  and,  what  is  still 
more  attractive  to  an  Esquimeaux,  it  contains  plenty  of  food.     Im- 
mediately within  the  door  of  her  dwelling,  which  has  a  long  pass- 
age of  entranccgis  stationed  a  very  large  and  fierce  dog,  which  has 
no  tail,  and  whose  hinder  quarters  are  black.     This  animal  is  bv 
some  called  the  husband,  and  by  others  merely  the  dog  of  Aywil- 
liayoo ;  but  he  is  generally  considered  as  the  father  of  Indians  and 
Kabloona  by  the  conjuress.     This  dog  is  also  one  of  the  Tornga'.-^ 
agents  in  the  punishment  of  wicked  souls  after  death.    Aywilliayoo 
is  amazingly  partial  to  Toolemak,  and  confers  very  great  favours  on 
him,  which  he  returns  rather  ungratefully,  for  he  Avillingly  under- 
takes the  defence  of  such  sick  women  as  v.' ill  pay  him. 

Aywilliayoo  is  described  by  her  high  priest  Toolemak,  as  being 
equally  wonderful  in  her  personal  appearance  as  in  her  actions.  She 
is  very  tall,  and  has  but  one  eye,  which  is  the  left,  the  place  of  the 
other  being  covered  by  a  profusion  of  black  hair.  She  has  one  pig- 
tail only,  contrary  to  the  established  fa.shion  in  the  upper  Esqui- 
meaux world,  which  is  to  wear  one  on  each  side  of  the  face,  and 
this  is  of  such  immense  magnitude,  that  a  man  can  scarcely  grasp 
it  with  both  hands.  Its  length  is  exactly  twice  that  of  her  arm,  and 
it  descends  to  her  knee.     The  hood  of  her  jacket  is  always  worn  up. 


MM 


AND   TDISCOVERIF"    IN   THK  WEST 


380 


It  is  somewhat  extraDrdinary  tliat  tlif  (oilier  of  tliis  female  Poly- 
pheme,  who  is  named  Nappayook,  and  is  the  next  in  point  of  im- 
portance, should  have  but  one  rrm,  the  hand  of  which  is  covered 
by  a  very  largo  mitten  of  bear  skin.  His  history  agrees  in  many 
respects  with  that  of  the  one  armed  giant  of  the  Greenlanders  ;  but 
in  point  of  size  there  is  a  vast  diflerence,  Nappayook  being  no  lar- 
ger than  a  boy  ten  years  of  age.  He  bears  the  character  of  a  good, 
quiet  sort  of  a  person,  and  is  master  of  a  very  nice  house,  which, 
however,  is  not  approachable,  on  account  of  the  vast  herds  of  wal- 
rus lying  round  it,  and  which  with  numerous  bears  make  a  most 
terrific  howling.  Toolcmak  acknowledged  very  candidly  that  he 
had  never  dared  to  enter  this  mansion,  but  by  looking  through  the 
door  he  could  see  that  it  was  good.  Another  substantial  reason  was 
given  why  no  Esquimaux  cared  to  enter  the  house  of  the  Tornga  ; 
he  has  nothing  to  eat,  and  does  not  even  require  it ;  in  which  par- 
ticular he  difl'ers  widely  from  his  daughter,  who  has  a  most  vora- 
cious appetite.  I  know  not  if  he  is  the  father  of  all  terrestrial  ani- 
mals, but  he  is  certainly  their  patron,  and  withholds  them  at  times 
from  the  Esquimaux.  What  methods  are  taken  to  make  him  libe- 
rate them  I  know  not. 

Having  now  been  properly  introduced  to  the  Tornga  of  my  sapi- 
ent atata,  I  took  the  earliest  opportunity  of  sleeping  at  his  hut,  and 
persuading  him  to  perform  hi  ^  ceremonies  to  a  part  of  his  country- 
men. Women  and  even  young  lads  were  excluded,  and  old  Khick- 
e-nekh  alone  remained.  Amongst  other  preparations,  I  observed  a 
man  bring  in  a  hard  bunch  of  moss,  over  which  a  flat  piece  of  sin- 
ew was  stretched,  and  confined  in  its  place  by  a  needle  stuck  up- 
right ;  through  its  eye  was  threaded  a  finer  piece  of  finew,  which 
had  its  ends  tied  to  the  moss.  This  contrivance  was  delivered  to 
the  old  lady,  who  informed  me  that  it  was  to  be  carried  by  Toolc- 
mak, as  a  present  to  his  patroness ;  the  moss  being  for  the  lamp, 
and  the  sewing  materials  for  mending  the  clothes  of  the  spirit.  We 
were  now  all  arranged  in  our  places,  and  one  of  the  two  lamps 


li-.'j;     li 


■fc-.  .11      ■         .M      »i 


390 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIEiJ 


wliich  were  burning  was  put  out ;  the  whole  party  crying  in  an  en- 
couraging voice  "  Ali-ani-ani,"  to  cheer  and  expedite  tlie  Annatko. 
This  exclamation  was  frequently  repeated,  and  I  observed  that  each 
time  a  wick  was  extinguished  in  the  remaining  lamp.  Two  or  three 
at  length  were  all  that  remained  alight,  and  the  hut  being  considera- 
bly darkened,  Toolemak  in  a  loud  voice  began  calling  Tornga ! 
Tornga !  Pamiooli !  Famiooli !  ya  whoi !  hooi !  hooi !  by  which 
time  one  solitary  wick  alone  remained.  The  old  woman  began 
singing,  and  the  cries  of  encouragement  were  added  to  those  of  the 
wizard.  An  indescribable  screaming  continued  for  some  little  time, 
until  we  were  informed  that  Tornga  refused  to  answer,  while  any 
light  remained :  this  was  as  I  expected,  and  we  were  in  instant 
darkness.  Toolemak  now  set  out  to  bring  the  enchantress.  A 
low  bass  voice,  which  those  who  sat  near  rae  said  was  that  of  Torn- 
ga, soon  chanted  the  same  tune,  which  I  had  heard  on  a  former  oc- 
casion. I  found  that  the  words  were  unintelligible,  even  to  the  na- 
tives. The  song  being  finished,  a  variety  of  questions  were  asked 
by  the  Esquimaux,  in  a  hurried  and  lively  manner,  to  which  the 
spirit  answered  with  great  gravity.  To  the  questions  relative  to  the 
chase,  the  replies  were  not  very  explicit,  as  it  is  the  policy  of  the 
Annatko  to  leave  a  salvo  for  himself,  whichever  way  the  predic- 
tions may  be  fulfilled ;  and  Ay williayoo  sung  in  so  strange  a  man- 
ner, as  to  cause  some  little  difficulty  in  the  interpretation  of  her  re- 
sponses. Cries  of  more  variety  than  I  can  pretend  to  describe,  and 
the  impatient  screams  and  questions  of  the  men,  with  the  loud  mo- 
notonous soug  of  the  old  woman,  continued  for  about  half  an  hour  ; 
the  solitary  and  powerful  chant  of  the  spirit  was  again  heard,  and 
she  retreated  with  the  same  skill  as  before. 

Toolemak,  with  shouts  and  strange  noises,  soon  joined  us,  and  his 
return  to  the  world  was  hailed  with  great  delight.  A  lamp  being 
brought,  the  pale  and  exhausted  Annatko  crawled  from  behind  hi» 
i^crecn,  and  seated  himself  amongst  us. 


i% 


.y^' 


mmmmm^m 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


;^9i 


I  could  not  but  remark  throughout  the  whole  of  the  perlbrmance, 
which  lasted  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  the  wonderful,  steadiness  of 
our  wizard,  who,  during  his  most  violent  exertions  of  voice,  did  not 
once  appear  to  move  ;  for  had  he  done  so,  I  was  so  close  to  the  skin 
behind  which  he  sat,  that  I  must  have  perceived  it.  Neither  did 
I  hear  any  rustling  of  his  clothes,  or  even  distinguish  his  breathing, 
although  his  outcries  were  made  with  great  exertion.  Once  howe- 
ver, and  once  only,  a  short  cough,  barely  audible  even  to  me,  oc- 
cured  while  the  old  man  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  other  world. 

Exhibitions  such  as  I  have  described  are  not  of  common  occur- 
rence, and  of  course  by  their  rarity  are  rendered  of  greater  impor- 
tance. There  is  much  rivalship  amongst  the  professors,  who  do 
not  however  expose  each  other's  secrets,  but  are  very  mysterious  or 
silent  when  spoken  to  on  the  subject. 

In  this  sort  of  jargon  as  practiced  by  the  Esquimaux  wizards,  as 
Lyon  calls  them,  we  are  reminded  of  the  mythology  and  mum- 
mery of  the  Laplanders,  and  of  their  numerous  deities,  both  good 
and  bad.  An  account  of  the  likeness  existing  between  them,  the 
reader  can  see  by  referri.ig  to  page  65  and  G7  inclusive,  of  this 
work.  The  similarity  between  them  strikes  us  the  more  forcibly, 
as  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  they  are  derived  from  Greenland,  and 
the  Greenlanders  from  Iceland,  and  the  Icelanders  from  Norway, 
the  northern  part  of  which  is  Lapland ;  where  similar  notions,  in 
some  sense,  most  certainly  prevailed 


r 


md  his 

being 

ind  hi» 


TRAITS  OF  ANCIENT  ROMANS  IN  AMERICA 

On  pages  40  and  59  inclusive,  of  this  work,  we  have  ventured 
the  conjecture,  that  the  Romans  colonized  various  parts  of  America. 
We  still  imagine  such  a  conjecture  by  no  means  impossible,  as  to- 
kens of  their  presence  are  evidently  yet  extant  in  the  vale  of  Mcx- 


•■SmuMn^i. 


. .  ■    ttk- 


■^  ■■■ii.' 


3f.'2 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


ico.  See  page  209,  where  tliere  is  an  account  of  a  temple,  vvliieli 
Avas  built  aiul  dedicated,  as  sacred  to  the  worship  of  the  sun  and 
moon. 

The  rehgions  of  nations  furnish,  it  is  presumed,  the  strongest 
possible  evidence  of  origin.  On  this  account,  the  temples  of  the 
sun  an  moon  in  JMexico,  exactly  answer  to  the  same  objects  of  de- 
votion, worshipped  by  the  ancient  Romans. 

That  they  are  similar  in  both  countries,  we  prove  from  Gibbon's 
Roman  empire,  page  233,  Vol.  1st,  as  follows :  The  sun  was  wor- 
sliipped  at  Emesa,  by  the  Romans,  under  the  name  of  Elagabalus, 
or  God,  under  the  form  of  a  black  conical  stone,  which,  it  was  uni- 
versally believed,  had  fallen  from  heaven,  on  that  sacred  place. 

This  stone,  we  observe,  was  undoubtedly  what  is  termed  an  airo- 
lithis,  a  copious  account  of  which  is  given  by  Dr.  Adam  Clark,  as 
being  thrown  out  of  the  n)oon  by  the  force  of  volcanic  eruptions  in 
that  planet,  which,  as  soon  as  they  had  passed  out  of  the  moon's 
attraction,  fell  immediately  to  the  earth,  being  drawn  hither  by  the 
stronger  force  of  the  centripetal  power.  A  stone  falling  to  the  earth 
imder  such  circumstances,  was  quite  suflicient  to  challenge  the  ado- 
ration of  the  pagan  nations,  as  coming  down  from  the  gods,  or  from 
the  sun,  as  a  representative  of  that  luminary. 

Accordingly  this  stone  became  deified,  and  was  set  up  to  be  wor- 
shipped, as  the  sun's  vicegerent  among  men.  Gibbon  says  that  to 
this  protecting  deity,  the  stone,  Antonius,  not  without  some  reason, 
ascribed  his  elevation  to  the  throne  of  the  Roman  empire.  The 
triumph  of  this  stone  god  over  all  the  religions  of  the  earth,  wa^ 
the  great  object  of  tliis  emperor's  zeal  and  vanity :  and  the  appel- 
lation of  Ekf/abalus,  which  he  had  bestowed  on  the  ajrolithis,  was 
dearer  to  that  emperor  than  all  tlie  titles  of  imperial  greatness. 

In  a  solenm  procession  through  the  streets  of  Rome,  the  way 
Avus  strewed  with  gold  dust ;  the  black  stone  set  in  precious  gems, 
was  placed  on  a  chariot  drawn  by  six  milk  white  horses,  richly  ca- 
parisoned.     The  pious  emperor  held  the  reins,  and  supported  by 


""-.«« of  «,e  „.„  and  X  :'::""'"•  "*  «■» «--' 

*g»a„o„.  """'  '^"'"='«'"''  "'"■  »«-e«ed  zeoi,  ,„d  «„«! 

^0  this  temple  a«  tn  „ 

feror  deities  a„e„ded  in  v„  ■  """•     *  ™»"J  of  in- 

J^'™-a,  E,e,a6a,„s  '""'  ''°"°"''  '"^  ""J«'X  "f  Ae  gc^  If 

B"!  the  court  of  tliis  g«i  „„  ,,.,,  .         . 

«»^iAed  rant  „,  adlitt^^  J t'  'Tr''  ""  °  '^'^^  '''^- 
="°-  for  hi,  e„„,ort;  b„  tV    ""', ''^''-      !•««-  had  been  fo, 

«-  hythe  Afriean,  „„der  the  ZLIIT       ''  '"""'™'*- 
-•'•hie  c„„p,„i„„  ,„  ,„^   ;  "'-  °f  A.,ar,e,  ,vas  deeded  a  „„„ 

l>o™P,  fromCa„hage,„  Rol         ,  ^         '""''"*'''  "'«"  «"™n 

h™  the,,,  a,  E„e.,  ii; ;":.:"  ""™^^-  '"0  -Z 

«»"  ».o„u,„did  ,he  Mexicans   !,"'  """'■'"»''  ""^  »"« 
'•»  "-  vale  of  Mexico,   If,  .heJfL         f""  ^"''  ""''  ^'"»«». 
'■<»«  re,igi,„.  Ha,,„,  '^'^' '"  ^"^ «-  -».-,  the  »„. 
»%  existed,  it  w„„,d  J,„  '„ ''"  ""^  ■"^"'-l  objects  of  „„. 

--  -  f-. .  suppose .::  ~::,  -^  --%.  »^ ««. 

ther  countrj .  ^      ^^^  '^^  ^''^  satue  people  in  ei- 

The  ancient  ^oiuaus,  or  rather  .Id 

60 


imr 


394 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


rercarkable  in  one  paiticular,  over  and  above  all  other  particulars, 
.  and  this  ivas,  in  the  construction  of  a  grand  national  road,  of 
three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty  English  miles  in  length. 
This  national  road  issued  from  the  Forum  of  Rome,  traversed  Ita-' 
ly,  pervaded  the  provinces,  and  terminated  only  by  the  frontiers  of 
the  Empire,  and  was  divided  off  into  distinct  miles,  by  a  stone  be- 
ing set  up  at  the  termination  of  each,  as  in  the  present  times. 
The  same  v\ras  the  case  with  the  ancient  people  of  South  America, 
in  the  times  of  the  Incas ;  who,  as  Humboldt  informs  us,  had  one 
grand  road,  which  is  even  traceable  at  the  present  time,  of  a  thou- 
sand leagues  in  length,  running  nlong  on  the  high  ground  of  the 
Cordilleras,  and  was  paved  with  large  flat  stones  the  whole  length. 
In  this  very  respect,  that  is,  of  paving  their  roads  with  large  stones, 
the  Romans  and  the  South  Americans  were  alike.  For  Gibbon 
says,  that  in  the  construction  of  the  Roman  national  highway,  they 
not  only  perforated  mountains,  raised  bold  arches  over  the  bioadest 
and  most  rapid  streams,  but  paved  it  with  large  stones,  and  in  some 
places  even  with  granite. 

In  another  respect  they  are  alike  ;  the  Romans  raised  this  road  so 
as  to  be  able  to  overlook  the  country  as  it  was  travelled :  so  also 
did  the  Americans,  in  choosing  the  high  grounds  of  the  Cordilleras 
to  build  it  upon. 

It  would  seem  also,  that  in  the  very  construction  of  their  ciHes, 
towns,  and  palaces,  as  found  scattered  over  many  parts  of  South 
America,  even  along  on  the  coasts  of  the  Pacific,  according  to  Hum- 
boldt and  more  recent  researches,  they  modeled  them,  in  some 
sense,  after  the  manner  of  the  Romans  ;  especially  in  the  vastness 
of  their  capacity,  or  area  which  they  occupied. 

However,  it  is  clear,  that  as  the  American  architecture  did  not 
partake  of  the  refinement  of  taste  in  the  finish  of  their  buildings, 
which  characterise  those  of  the  Romans,  that  they,  the  former,  are 
the  elder  of  the  two ;  and  that  the  American  nations  in  the  persons 
of  their  ancestors  got  from  Africa,  and  about  the  country  of  the 


AND   DISCOVERIES   ,.V    tme    >Ve„ 

Mediterranean    i„  fj  .  *  395 

!>«"-  fo„  blrbariI."F„;' !f ;,  "'' ."'™  '"■'"—•'",  or  de- 

""«'-".,  .h.  arts  a,  f„,„     „      '  '  "^  ""'  """•°''"  "f  ">« 

'-"'■l  ».--  i.»  .!>»r«.  ""'"'^  '^  <^''"'™'-.  .vta  he 

''-J'=J-„  before  ,p„,e„;;""  7«'  '»  "-  whUe  a.d 

^"■'  -  «.e  K„«„,  wore     :X"'  """  "»'"«-•"■«  'egi.a  J' 
"--.  >™.  b.fo.  ,a,  ,„^,;;  -=  P»P'=.  a.,,,  had  hec„„.  „. 

---*n,  .3  G,-5bo„,  ,.,•:;„,',"=  ""'•    "'  E-"P».  and  „ade, 

-«  a  "',.  and  bearded  a      ^Tl""'!  "^  '«»  ^^  ^^pa.,  who 
-",  we  ha.e  .,„«,  „,e:.:  ^J,  °^-"  -»*"!.«  of  .h.. 

«»«».  a:,  G.ek  .  Jl     '  ^^^  ^""■»*-.  P'^-aen, 
P-P%  of  ,he  „,M,  of  A„Z7'    r  ''"  ■""'^  '°  "»  '■"  «■» 

■  '^r'''=-i"-'-.ion,,ha„r      ;:.;"'''»  '-''■'  ^-Pe«s, 
T'>erawasf„„„<,,„„„„,«;"J"^^;PPo»<l. 

"'  ™="le  coaba.  wia,  d,,   *  .";'"''"  '"'«^«™.  and  this  wa,,  ft  „        , 

«'»^'-a'o-  This  a„o.;!:  Rir""  ^''^  "•=  «*^'  »^  «■= 

^■"^0  --.h  hU  ow.  hand,  a,  .  gtll'  ""  "'  "*  "°'-". 

«"=  parsoM.  *"*"""'  >=«n  hundred  and  (hirty. 

Of  this  emperor,  Gihb„„  ,„,  ,,  ,  ,  . 
1  «■»  -".-..d.  Which  .radi;      ,  r*;'-^  -•«■  «■»  praise,  ' 

*a»e,  Coaaodn,  re,o,.ed  .0  0^7''"  '"^  ™^''  «-  "^ 
»"»  Peopie,  .hose  e.eroise,  wh'h  ffl  Tl  "'  '^"  "'  "^  «- 
«-"  -aWn  ,he  w,«s  of  Us  p^,,        '"'  "'  '"'  '''«««y  con- 
vourite.  """""'"""^  presence  0/ hi.  f. 


396 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


On  the  appointed  day,  the  various  motives  of  flattery,  fear,  and 
curiosity,  attracted  to  the  amphitheatre  an  innumerable  multitude 
of  spectators ;  and  some  decree  of  applause  was  deservedly  bestow- 
ed on  the  uncommon  skill  of  the  imperial  performer.  Whether  he 
aimed  at  the  head  or  heart  of  the  animal,  the  wound  was  alike  cer- 
tain and  mortal.  With  arrows  whose  point  was  shaped  in  the 
form  of  a  crescent,  Commodus  often  intercepted  the  rapid  career, 
and  cut  asunder  the  long  and  bony  neck  of  the  ostrich. 

A  panther  was  let  loose,  and  the  archer  waited  till  he  had  leap- 
ed upon  a  trembling  malefactor.  In  the  same  instant  the  shaft 
flew,  the  beast  dropt  dead,  and  the  man  remained  unhurt.  The 
dens  of  the  amphitheatre  dii^gorged  at  once  a  hundred  lions ;  a  hun- 
dred darts  in  succession,  from  the  unerring  hand  of  Commodus,  laid 
them  dead  as  they  ran  raging  round  the  arena.     Such  it  appears 

were  the  prowess  and  the  sports  of  the  ancient  Romans,  whose 
counterpart,  as  it  respects  this  peculiar  trait,  the  fi;;ht  of  the  gladia- 
tor, was  found  among  the  Mexican  usages  of  North  America. 


THE  GOLD  REGIONS  IN  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES. 


From  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Ar^--,  we  have  a 
highly  interesting  description  of  tlie  gold  districts  in  Georgia  and 
North  Carolina,  extending  west  even  into  the  state  of  Tennessee. 
In  this  journal  gold  is  treated  upon  as  being  extremely  abundant,  and 
from  the  situation  of  the  veins,  is  far  more  eligible  to  the  operations 
of  the  miner,  than  the  gold  mines  of  South  America  ;  these  having, 
as  is  supposed,  been  greatly  deranged  in  places,  and  buried  deep 
by  the  operations  of  volcanoes  ;  while  those  in  the  states  are  still 
in  their  primitive  state  of  formation. 

Gold  is  found  connected  with  various  formations  of  slate,  with 
red  clay,  and  in  the  bottoms  of  streams,  mingled  with  the  sand  and 


e 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN  THE   Wi:ST. 


397 


kave  a 
la  and 
lessee- 
|it,  and 

rations 
paving, 
deep 

te  still 


w 


ith 


id  and 


gravel.  It  is  found  with  the  heavy  gravelly  earth  of  the  mountains, 
but  most  of  all,  in  the  kind  of  rock  called  quartz,  which  is  also 
mingled  with  slate.  In  North  C'arolina,  on  Valley  River,  gold  is 
found  in  abundance,  connected  with  the  quartz  rock,  which  also 
abounds  with  chrystal,  running  in  veins  in  every  direction,  in  tis- 
sues from  the  size  of  a  straw  to  that  of  a  man's  arm.  The  quartz 
is  in  great  masses  very  compact,  and  of  a  yellow  golden  hue,  from 
the  abundant  presence  of  the  metal.  In  the  bottom  of  this  river 
much  deposited  gold  is  found  in  strata. 

It  would  appear,  from  the  evidences  yet  remaining,  that  the  an- 
cient inhabitants  were  not  insensible  to  the  existence  of  the  golden 
mines  here,  nor,  of  course,  of  its  value  ;  for,  "  in  the  vicinity  Avere 
found  the  remains  of  ancient  works ;  many  shafts  have  been  sunk 
in  pursuit  of  the  ore,  and  judging  from  the  masses  thrown  up,  one 
of  them  penetrated  a  quartz  rock  to  a  great  depth,  as  about  thirty 
feet  still  lies  open  to  view. 

There  is  also  a  deep  and  difficult  cut  across  a  very  bold  vein  of 
this  rock,  in  pursuit  of  metal,  but  it  is  nbw,  much  filled  up,  having 
been  used  subsequently  for  an  Indiao  burying  ground.  At  this 
place,  says  the  Journal,  nothing  short  of  the  steel  pickaxe,  could 
have  left  the  traces  on  the  stone  which  are  found  here. 

Not  far  from  this  place,  have  been  found  the  remains  of  a  small 
furnace,  the  walls  of  which  had  been  formed  of  soap  stone,  so  as  to 
endure  the  heat  without  being  fractured.  In  the  county  of  Ha- 
bersham, in  North  Carolina,  was  lately  dug  out  of  the  earth,  at  a 
place  where  the  gold  ore  is  found,  a  small  vessel  in  the  form  of  a 
skillet.  It  was  fifteen  feet  under  ground,  made  of  a  compound  of 
tin  and  copper^  with  a  trace  of  iron.  The  copper  and  tin  in  its  com- 
position, are  undoubtedly  the  evidence  of  its  antiquity.  See  the 
plate  at  letter  G,  where  an  exact  facsimile  of  this  vessel  is  engrav- 
ed, taken  from  the  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts,  conducted  by  Pro- 
fessor SiUiman. 


.•A- 


39fi 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIEi 


On  the  top  of  Yeotia  mountain,  in  tlie  same  region,  still  exist 
the  remains  of  n  stone  wall,  which  exhibit  the  angles  of  a  fortifica- 
tion, and  giiard  the  only  accessible  points  of  ascent  to  its  summit. 
Timber  ia  the  Clierokee  country,  beating  marks  of  the  axe,  (not 
of  slonc,)  have  been  taken  up  at  the  depth  of  ten  feet  below  the 
surface.  Indian  tradition,  says  Mr.  Silliman,  gives  no  account  of 
these  remains.  This  article,  which  was  found  in  the  gold  mine,  in 
Habersham  county,  formed  of  copper  and  tin,  is  in  this  respect  like 
the  mining  chissel  described  by  Humboldt,  on  page  190  of  this 
work.  The  timber  found  ten  feet  beneath  the  surface,  in  Georgia 
and  North  Carolina,  bearing  the  marks  of  having  been  cut  down 
and  cut  in  two  with  axes  of  metal,  are  to  be  referred  to  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Europeans — the  Danes,  Welch,  &e.,  of  whom  we  have 
already  spoken  in  several  parts  of  this  volume.  We  consider  them 
the  same  with  the  authors  of  the  stone  walls  which  we  have  men- 
tioned that  were  found  in  North  Carolina,  and  also  with  the  authors 
of  the  iron  axes,  fotnid  in  a  saltpetre  cave,  on  the  river  Gasconade, 
far  to  the  west,  as  mei^ioVied  in  Beck's  Gazetteer  ;  and  also  the 
same  with  the  authors  of  the  stone  buildings,  a  foundation  of  one 
of  which  is  represented  on  the  plate.     See  Frontispiece. 

It  would  appear  from  all  this,  that  these  Europeans  had  niade 
extensive  settlements  in  various  places,  extending  over  an  immense 
range  of  this  country,  before  they  were  cut  off  by  the  Indians  ;  as 
we  cannot  suppose  any  other  enemy  capable  of  so  dreadful  and  ge- 
neral a  slaughter. 

It  is  said  that  the  ancient  Phcenicians  first  discovered  the  art  of 
manufactuiiiig  tools  from  the  union  of  copper  and  tin,  the  same  of 
which  this  skillet  is  found  to  be  formed  ;  and  that  of  the  Phoeni- 
cians, the  Greeks  and  Romans,  learned  the  art,  who  it  is  likely 
communicated  the  same  to  the  ancient  Britons  ;  and  from  these,  in 
process  of  time,  the  Danes,  the  Welch,  the  Scotch,  and  the  Norwe- 
gians, brought  it  with  them  to  the  wilds  of  America.  Or  if  we  re- 
ject this,  we  may  refer  the  working  of  those  mines  of  gold,  not  to 


m; 


399 


^  AND  DI-COV.R.,.   ,^   ^^^    ^^^^  _^^^ 

"■""■S  boo,,  dlscovorcd  i„  >„.  ■       "^IS''"--"-'""  '^''""^lor,,  a, 
•«icfc  of  c„pp„,  „f  „  ,„,.^  ,;'7""'  ■;  "-'--d-     B„,  ,,o,v  ,he 

nrers  fl„„i„g  „„„  „,^  »"  ">"'»'«  sad,  ,„  oros,  ,he 

'Von..  Ca.n„,  S„.,„.  C„.o,L:  a^  a       %"""'^" '"""«- 
fj,nc«  .. '  ""'J  <-c.^2ia.     See  the  map  uf 


Carolina,  a.d  o„e  i„  Ge„r.|„   „„         ''°'"'^' °"= '»  ««orn  JVonf, 

Kpar.l,„„  of  „,„  ,,,,„  <"'■";  and  f„™  j„;„„^  .^^ 

«  fro™  „.e  „o„„.    Tho.o  are  0^^^  '"".  f™"''"'"''  W--,,. 

--.ai„,  „,ioh  „„,e  .ho^^uj  ;,  'I  f  '  ""''  '"'""'""•" 
-.ako..,e„..e  of  I,„„,„,,,„  l^^^^'--  "^-.„.  „„. 
soo(,OD,  Where  the  u„io„  <,f  ,„„  ^'  ""'  '«""'°f  i"to,- 

«.-  *.  of  oo.„.„ ,,  „a,:trz:r  "^ ''""-" 


"i. 


•4 


h 


400 


.'l  Tl 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


•   The  evidence  at  this  place,  of  the  war  of  the  elements,  is  (lio 

-admiration  of  all  who  pass  the  hroken  mountain,  through  what  is 

called  the  suck,  and  boiling  chaldron^  near  the  confines  of  the  state 

of  Tennessee.      At  this  place,  the  vast  accumulation  of  waters,  it 

cz, '.    is  evident^  broke  through,  and  deluged  the  country  below,  toward 

'-.  *  .tlie  sea,  overwhelming  whatever  settlements  the  Danes,  or  other 

.      -  » 

>  ,--;^eople  of  the   old  worl4(«iay  have  made  there,  especially  along 

the  lowest  grounds,  till  the  waters  were  drained  to  the  Atlan- 
*  tic  This  position  easily  accounts  for  the  appearances  of  such  ar- 
articles  as  have  been  disintered,  with  that  of  timber,  from  the 
depths  mentioned  in  the  Journal  of  Science.  Such  a  circumstance 
may  have  gone  far  to  weaken  the  prowess  of  those  nations.  So 
that  they  could  not,  froirlthe  survivors  dwelling  on  the  highest 
grounds,*soon  recover  their  numbers,  their  order,  their  state  of  de- 
fence and  security,  against  the  Indians  farther  west,  who  it  is  likely, 
watched  all  opportunities  to  destroy  thcra. 

Finally,  from  all  we  can  gather  on  this  momentous  subject,  we 
are  compelled,  from  t^  overwhelming  amount  of  evidence  to  ad- 
mit that  mighty  nationj^  with  almost  unbounded  empire,  with  vari- 
ous degrees  of  improvement,  have  occupied  the  continent,  and  that, 
as  in  the  old  world,  empire  has  succeeded  empire,  rising  one  out  of 
the  other,  from  the  jarring  interests  of  the  unwieldy  and  ferocious 
mass :  So  also  in  this. 

And,  also,  that  convulsion  has  succeeded  convulsion,  deluge  suc- 
ceeded deluge,  breaking  dowii  mountains,  the  barriers  of  rivers, 
deranging  and  destroving  the  ancieitHiatious,  till  it  has,  at  length, 
assumed  a  settled  and  more  permanent  state  of  things,  where  the 
happy  millions  of  the  present  race  now  inhabit.    /  ^     i     (^^J  / 


\ 


.,'#■.•  ; 


lements,  is  (luj 
irough  what  is 
es  of  the  state 
>n  of  waters,  it 
below,  toward 
aues,  or  other 
specially  along 
to  the  Atlan- 
:es  of  such  ar- 
ber,  from  the 
I  circumstance 
nations.      So 
1  the  highest 
ir  state  of  de- 
iio  it  is  likely, 


5  subject,  we 
idence  to  ad- 
re,  with  vari- 
ent,  and  that, 
iig  one  out  of 
ind  ferocious 

,  deluge  suc- 
rs  of  rivers, 
IS,  at  length, 
,  where  ths 


'\ 


V 


'■\ 


